tvbrarjp  of t:he  t:heolo0ical  ^emmarjp 

PRINCETON    .    NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

The  Estate  of 
Samuel  Henry  Gapp  _ 

BV  2560  .H35  1912 
Hamilton,  J  Taylor,  Bp. 
Twenty  years  of  pioneer 
missions  in  Nyasaland 


DEC    14  1964 

TWENTY    YEARS 

OF 

PIONEER    MISSIONS 

IN 

NYASALAND, 

A  HISTORY  OF  MORAVIAN  MISSIONS  IN 
GERMAN  EAST  AFRICA, 

BY 


BISHOP  J.  TAYLOR  HAMILTON,  D.  D. 

MEMBER   OF   THE   MISSION    BOARD   OF   THE 
MORAVIAN   CHURCH. 


Published  by  the  Society  for   Propagating  the  Gospel, 
Bethlehem.  Pennsylvania,  191 2. 


Bethlehem  Printing  Company, 

BETHLtHEM,     PA. 

1912. 


PREFACE. 


In  the  following  pages  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  tell 
the  story  of  a  pioneer  effort  to  evangelize  a  part  of  the  Dark 
Continent,  an  effort  upon  which  God  has  laid  a  marked 
blessing.  May  the  story  serve  to  arouse  missionary  interest 
and  promote  the  support  of  the  trust  with  which  the  Mora- 
vian Church  has  been  providentially  charged.  The  present 
work  concerns  itself  more  particularly  with  the  Nyasa 
Province  of  the  Moravian  Mission  in  German  East  Africa. 
It  is  hoped  that  the  story  of  Unyamwesi  may  be  told  at  some 
later  day. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  to  consistently  follow  the 
scientific  spelling  of  African  names,  a  matter  with  regard 
to  which  the  authorities  are  not  yet  in  complete  agreement. 
Let  it  suffice  to  note,  that  the  prefix  placed  before  the  root 
of  a  proper  name  has  its  definite  signification ;  for  example, 
from  the  root  Safwa  we  have  Unsafwa — ^the  individual  man, 
Basafzva  or  Wasafzva—the  men  (plural),  Kisafzva — the  lan- 
guage, and  Biisafzca — the  land  of  that  tribe. 

Special  thanks  are  herewith  tendered  to  the  Rev.  Paul  de 
Schweinitz,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of  Missions,  for  aid  in  connec- 
tion with  seeing  this  little  work  through  the  press. 

J.  Taylor  Hamilton. 
Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  Jan.  ii,  igi2. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Page 

Chapter  I.     Impulses  Contributing  to  the  Commencement  of  the 

Mission    5 

Chapter   II.     The  Journey  of  the   Pioneers 10 

Chapter   III.     Getting  a  Foothold    18 

Chapter  IV.     The  Land  and  its  Tribes '   25 

Chapter  V.     The  People  of  Nyasaland  and  their  Mode  of  Life.  30 

Chapter  VI.     The  Manners  and  Customs 'of  the  People 40 

Chapter  VII.     The  Religion  and  Morals  of  the  People 51 

Chapter  VIII.     The  Firstfruits  Gathered 64 

Chapter  IX.     Widening  the  Base  of  Operations 74 

Chapter  X.     Methods  of  Work 87 

Chapter  XI.     Hindrances    100 

Chapter   XII.     Disappointments    114 

Chapter  XIII.     The  Gospel  Effective  in   Xyasaland 124 

Chapter  XIV.     Among  the  Lepers 140 

Chapter  XV.     A  Sunday  in  Isoko 147 

Chapter  XVI.     The  Mission  as  a  Civilizing  Force 155 

Chapter  XVII.     The  Present  Status  of  the  Mission 166 

Chapter  XVIII.     Unyamwesi    175 

Appendix  A.     List  of  Missionaries  Engaged  in  the   Service  of 

the   Nyasa   Mission 183 

Appendix  B.     List  of  Mission   Stations  in  Xyasa 185 

Appendix  C.     Missionary  Organizations  in  German  East  Africa  187 

Index    189 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Missionaries  in  Nyasaland,  1910 Frontispiece 

A  Halt  on  the  Journey , 10 

Landscape    near    Rungwe 18 

In  Council  Assembled 22 

A  Village  in  Nyasaland 30 

House  of  a  Konde  man 40 

Four  Chieftains 48 

An   Operation    in   Dentistry 60 

Christians   in   Rungwe    T2 

Church   in  Utengule,   Exterior 84 

Church  in  Utengule,  Interior 88 

School  in   Rungwe 96 

Mission  House,  Mueia 106 

Mission   Station,  Rungwe 116 

Church   in   Rutenganio 124 

In  Front  of  the  Church  at  Ipyana 138 

A  Service   in  the  Open 152 

A  Lesson  in  Geography 158 

Travel  in  Central  Africa,  The  Maschila 164 

Visit  of  a  Chieftain 176 

Christians  in  Utengule 182 


CHAPTER  I. 

IMPULSES    CONTRIBUTING    TO    THE    COMMENCEMENT    OF    THE 

MISSION. 

Missionary  undertakings  in  East  Equatorial  Africa  belong 
exclusively  to  the  era  of  the  modern  forward  movement  in 
the  world's  evangelization.  South  Africa  received  its  first 
missionary,  George  Schmidt,  as  early  as  1737.  The  anti- 
slavery  agitation  of  the  close  of  the  18th  and  the  beginning 
of  the  19th  century  directed  the  attention  of  British  mis- 
sionary societies  to  the  West  Coast,  and  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  entered  Sierra  Leone  in  1804.  Though  the 
efforts  of  Hocker,  Danke  and  Antes  in  the  middle  of  the 
18th  century  proved  premature  and  abortive,  even  the  Mo- 
hammedan lands  of  North  Africa  received  heralds  of  the 
Gospel  at  an  earlier  date  than  did  the  East  Coast,  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  having  founded  a  central  school  in 
Malta  as  early  as  1815,  for  the  training  of  workers  who 
should  seek  to  bring  new  life  to  the  churches  of  the  Orient. 
Egypt  was  entered  in  1826  and  the  missionary  pioneers 
pushed  forwards  as  far  as  Abyssinia.  But  East  Africa  was 
disregarded  for  decades.  It  lay  aside  the  main  lines  of 
commercial  intercourse  from  Europe  to  India  and  China 
and  remained  unnoticed,  whilst  Madagascar  in  the  track  of 
the  vessels  that  made  for  Bombay  or  Calcutta  after  round- 
ing the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  welcomed  the  missionaries  of 
the  London  Society  as  early  as  1820.  But  after  Krapf  and 
Rebmann  had  discovered  the  snowy  peaks  of  Kilimanjaro 
and  Kenia,  and  especially  after  Livingstone  and  Stanley 
had  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  Dark  Continent  from 
the  East  Coast  and  Livingstone  had  tirelessly  repeated  his 
summons  to  repress  the  slave-trade,  a  wonderful  change 
commenced.    The  death  of  the  great  missionary  explorer  at 

2 


O  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

Ilala  proved  a  challenge  to  his  countrymen  and  to  Christen- 
dom to  bring  the  Gospel  to  the  millions  of  East  Africa,  and 
his  lifting  the  veil  from  the  mystery  of  Africa's  interior  led 
geographers  and  explorers  to  busy  themselves  with  Africa 
to  an  unparalleled  extent.  Soon  followed  the  rapid  develop- 
ment of  the  colonial  policy  of  European  powers,  notably 
England,  Germany  and  France,  that  led  to  the  partitioning 
of  Africa  into  spheres  of  influence  and  colonization.  But 
even  in  advance  of  the  geographical  explorers  and  political 
representatives  of  the  European  nations  missionaries  pressed 
in,  not  to  urge  demands  upon  the  native  populations  but 
to  present  to  them  the  most  valuable  of  gifts.  Uganda  was 
occupied  by  the  Church  and  the  Universities'  Missionary 
Societies,  and  notwithstanding  the  martyrdom  of  Bishop 
Hannington  and  the  wave  of  bloody  persecution  that  fol- 
lowed, the  English  Church  held  that  land,  thanks  to  the  wise 
laying  of  foundations  by  Alexander  Mackay  and  other  ex- 
cellent men.  The  London  Missionary  Society,  the  Scotch 
Free  Church,  the  State  Church  of  Scotland  and  the  Univer- 
sities' Missionary  Society  undertook  the  evangelization  of 
the  regions  about  Lake  Tanganyika  and  Lake  Nyasa.  Blan^ 
tyre  and  Bandawe  and  Likoma  arose. 

Events  took  a  new  turn  finally  with  the  division  of  East 
Africa  between  England,  Germany  and  Portugal,  as  a  result 
of  peaceful  negotiations  in  1885.  So  soon  as  the  inevitable 
disturbances  among  the  native  tribes  had  been  allayed  and 
the  administrative  arrangements  of  the  several  colonies  were 
measurably  perfected,  the  missionary  organizations  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  new  opportunity.  This  held  good  especially 
for  German  East  Africa.  Here  before  long  in  addition  to 
the  Church  Missionary  Society,  the  London  Missionary  So- 
ciety and  the  German  East  African  Society,  the  Leipsic,  the 
Berlin  and  the  Universities'  Missionary  Society  as  well  as 
the  Moravian  Church  each  found  a  distinct  sphere  of  work. 

It  is  of  the  activity  of  the  last  named  Church  in  German 
East  Africa  that  the  following  pages  treat. 

Organized  as  an  international  body,  possibly  the  Mora- 
vian Church  has  been  less  influenced  than  any  other  organ- 


COMMENCEMENT    OF    THE    MISSION.  7 

ization  in  the  development  of  its  missionary  policy  by  im- 
pulses connected  with  colonial  development  and  national 
policy.  And  yet  with  the  head(|uarters  of  its  missionary 
administration  situated  in  (Germany  and  the  majority  of  its 
missionary  workers  of  (ierman  nationality  it  was  inevitable 
that  the  dawn  of  the  colonial  era  for  Germany  should  have 
its  effect  upon  the  missionary  undertakings  of  this  the  oldest 
existing  missionary  organization  in  Germany.  Earnest 
Christian  circles  within  the  German  Fatherland  saw  in  the 
agreement  between  the  powers,  which  assigned  to  Germany 
a  large  territory  opi)osite  to  Zanzibar,  not  merely  an  oppor- 
tunity to  exploit  commercial  interests,  but  a  summons  to 
undertake  the  civilization,  moral  elevation  and  Christianiza- 
tion  of  the  native  races  of  this  land.  A  natural  and  justifia- 
ble demand  arose,  that  German  missionary  organizations 
should  accept  the  responsibilty  of  facing  this  task.  This 
feeling  was  shared  by  evangelical  missionary  leaders  else- 
where. Towards. the  end  of  the  eighties  ai)peals  came  to 
the  Moravian  Mission  Board  from  leading  British  mission- 
aries in  Uganda  to  take  up  this  task. 

At  the  same  time,  as  though  to  render  it  impossible  for 
the  authorities  of  the  Moravian  Church  to  doubt  His  will, 
and  to  remove  good  grounds  for  hesitation,  God  at  this  very 
time  providentially  so  disposed  of  events  that  means  were  at 
hand  for  the  commencement  of  a  new  mission.  In  March, 
1890,  there  came  into  the  control  of  the  Mission  Board  at 
Herrnhut  a  legacy  of  about  $200,000,  willed  by  Daniel  Cra- 
kau,  of  Breslau,  to  the  Moravian  Church  for  the  founding 
and  carrying  on  of  a  mission  in  German  East  Africa,  and 
other  sums,  considerably  less  in  amount  indeed,  were  also 
forthcoming  in  England  and  in  Germany  for  this  express 
purpose.  In  the  face  of  such  coincidences,  the  Executive 
Board  of  the  Moravian  Church  could  not  do  otherwise  than 
obediently  recognize  the  providential  leading  and  resolve 
upon  this  step. 

Next  arose  the  question,  which  region  of  the  wide  terri- 
tory should  be  selected  for  the  commencement  of  mission- 
ary operations.     As  matters  stood  in    1890  thoughts  were 


8  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

turned  to  the  Usambara  highlands,  in  the  northeast  and  near 
the  coast,  a  region  most  easily  reached.  The  strip  imme- 
diately adjacent  to  the  coast  was  considered  undesirable, 
as  standing  too  directly  under  the  influence  of  the  Arabs 
and  East  Indians,  and  probably  also  likely  to  be  too  soon 
overrun  by  colonists.  A  preference  was  felt  for  the  sources 
of  the  Pangani,  south  of  Kilimanjaro,  with  a  first  base  of 
operations  for  better  communication  about  half  way  down 
the  course  of  the  Pangani  in  Usambara,  the  region  in  which 
the  East  African  Missonary  Society  (Berlin  II)  later  plant- 
ed Hohenfriedeberg  and  Bethel. 

At  this  stage  Bishop  Charles  Buchner  was  sent  to  Berlin 
to  confer  with  the  imperial  German  colonial  authorities, 
with  prominent  colonial  commercial  organizations  and  espe- 
cially with  the  Berlin  Missionary  Society  (Berlin  I),  since 
the  last  named  missionary  society  also  contemplated  under- 
taking a  mssion  in  the  new  territory.  Now  attention  was 
directed  to  the  practically  unexplored  mountainous  region 
north  and  northwest  of  Lake  Nyasa,  as  well  peopled  and 
likely  to  ofifer  for  some  time  an  undisturbed  field  for  mis- 
sionary operations,  since  it  did  not  present  immediate  at- 
tractions for  colonization.  It  appeared  to  be  a  region  com- 
paratively easy  of  access  by  way  of  the  Zambezi,  the  Shire 
and  Lake  Nyasa.  As  far  as  was  known,  its  people  were 
peaceful  in  disposition.  The  missionary  stations  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  on  the  lake  would  offer  a  point  of  sup- 
port in  case  of  need.  Further  inquiry  confirmed  the  wis- 
dom of  this  advice.  Moreover  the  African  Lakes  Company, 
the  Scotch  trading  company  which  was  in  close  connection 
with  the  missionary  operations  there,  promised  to  look  after 
the  transportation  of  missonaries  and  goods  in  an  obliging 
manner.  All  this  led  to  the  resolve  in  October,  1890,  that 
the  contemplated  mission  should  be  undertaken  in  Konde- 
land,  north  of  Lake  Nyasa.  Meanwhile  the  Berlin  Society 
reached  a  similar  conclusion.  Fraternal  negotiations  be- 
tween the  two  organizations  followed  for  the  determining 
more  narrowly  the  sphere  of  each  organization.  Early  in 
January,  1891,  representatives  of  both  met  for  conference 


COMMENCEMENT    OF    THE    MISSION.  \f 

and  entered  into  an  agreement,  to  regard  the  34th  degree 
of  longitude  as  the  boundary  separating  their  prospective 
mission  helds,  the  Berhn  Society  choosing  the  land  east  of 
the  line  and  the  Moravian  Church  undertaking  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  people  to  the  west.  Mutual  co-operation 
and  harmonious  methods  of  labor  were  pledged.  As  far  as 
possible  linguistic  work  and  publications  should  be  joint 
productions,  or  at  least  be  placed  at  the  service  of  both ; 
and  in  educational  undertakings  each  should  render  the 
other  practical  assistance — a  pledge  which  has  been  mutually 
kept  in  the  most  fraternal  spirit. 


,10  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE    JOURNEY   OF   THE   PIONEERS. 

The  new  enterprise  having  been  resolved  upon  and  the 
scene  of  the  undertaking  settled,  four  young  men  were  se- 
lected to  be  the  pioneers,  Theodor  Meyer,  Theophil  Richard, 
Georg  Martin  and  Johannes  Haefner.  Two  of  these  were 
sons  of  missionaries  and  one  a  son  of  a  member  of  the 
Unity's  Elders'  Conference,  the  chief  directing  board  of  the 
Moravian  Church.  Two  w^ere  schoolmasters  and  of  the 
other  two  one  was  a  student  in  the  Mission  Institute  at 
Niesky.  After  the  winter  of  1890  to  1891  had  been  spent 
in  preparation,  on  the  16th  of  April,  of  the  latter  year,  the 
four  path-finders  sailed  from  Naples  for  Quelimane  on 
board  the  "Kancler." 

In  the  last  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  way  to 
the  region  north  of  Lake  Nyasa  led  most  naturally  by  water. 
The  caravan  route  from  the  coast  of  German  East  Africa 
into  the  interior  had  not  yet  been  opened,  and  the  interme- 
diate region  was  occupied  by  restless  tribes  that  made  travel 
insecure.  The  broad  delta  of  the  Zambezi  constituted  the 
natural  gateway.  At  Chinde,  a  free  port  of  entry,  goods 
could  be  landed  and  thence  furthered  into  British  territory. 
The  coast  is  flat,  sandy  or  covered  with  swamps  out  of 
which  tangled  low  mangroves  rise  on  thin,  stilt-like  roots. 
The  lower  course  of  the  great  river,  cut  by  many  islands, 
maintains  the  same  character.  Its  waters  swarm  with 
crocodiles  and  hippopotami.  Here  and  there  it  passes 
through  groves  of  cocoa-nut  palms  and  long  grasses  bend 
before  the  wind.  The  kingfisher's  blue  and  scarlet  adds  a 
flash  of  variety  to  the  white  gleam  of  the  ibis.  Or  a  great 
fish  eagle  circles  off  into  the  blue  of  the  sky,  startled  by 
the  calls  of  the  black  paddlers.  Otherwise  the  river  is  un- 
utterably lonely  and  still,  and  its  scenery  monotonous.  It 
acquires  more  interest  only  where  the  great  tributary,  the 
Shire,  pours  in  from  the  north.  Here  a  bungalow  is  in 
sight  and  a  steamer  of  the  African  Lakes'  Company  pro- 
vides further  transportation.   The  route  is  now  up  the  Shire. 


^trmp: 


THE    JOURNEY    OK    THE    PIONEERS.  11 

A  lake-like  expansion  first  of  all.  and  then  the  narrower, 
deeper  channel  of  this  stream  aft'ords  good  navigation  for 
a  time.  Over  the  mighty  giants  of  the  tropical  forest,  linked 
by  graceful  lianes  and  here  and  there  brilliant  in  the  flam- 
ing colors  of  their  blossoms  lies  the  distant  faint  blue  line 
of  the  mountains.  Now  and  again  elephants  or  water  buffa- 
loes move  through  the  grasses  and  bamboos  of  the  banks 
and  bright  plumaged  birds  flit  and  flash  hither  and  thither. 

But  the  Shire  has  one  defect  as  the  great  highway  into 
the  interior.  About  the  16th  degree  of  southern  latitude  it 
issues  from  the  mountainous  plateau.  Here  rapids  are  met 
after  five  or  six  days'  sailing  from  its  outlet,  which  no  boat 
can  pass — the  Murchison  Cataracts,  extending  for  seventy 
miles.  Now  the  journey  must  be  made  on  foot.  About 
half-way  up  this  climb  of  seventy  miles  and  a  considerable 
distance  inland  from  the  river,  lies  Blantyre,  the  Scotch  mis- 
sionary station  and  post  of  the  African  Lakes  Company.  A 
further  ascent  must  yet  be  made  over  the  broad  ridge  of  a 
mountain,  to  Matope,  on  the  upper  Shire,  which  connects 
direct  with  Lake  Nyasa. 

A  mere  narrow  footpath,  trodden  hard  beneath  centuries 
of  native  trafiic.  so  that  it  forms  a  rut  lower  than  the  gen- 
eral level  of  the  forest,  a  path  that  proceeds  directly  over 
elevations  and  down  depressions,  this  caravan  route  is  most 
toilsome  for  the  unaccustomed  European.  True,  as  he 
makes  the  steady  ascent,  his  vision  shut  in  here  by  a  dense 
bamboo  thicket,  and  there  permitted  to  revel  in  the  gay 
colors  of  luxuriant  tropical  flora,  whilst  he  perspires  in  ev- 
ery pore  from  exertion  in  the  terrible  heat,  the  novelty  of 
it  all  at  first  compensates  for  much  of  the  hardship  of  the 
way  At  night  the  encampment  is  made  picturescjue  by  the 
watch-fires  that  are  here  so  essential,  as  a  protection  against 
prowling  lions  or  other  beasts. 

At  Matope  the  comfort  of  again  proceeding  by  water 
may  be  enjoyed,  doubly  appreciated  after  the  days  of  toil. 

A  couple  of  days'  steaming  and  the  southern  end  of  Lake 
Nyasa  is  reached.  Rut  the  approach  to  the  great  lake  does 
not  convey  the  imposing  impression  conjured  uj)  by  antici- 


12  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

pation.  Plainly  for  many  a  year  its  southern  end  has  been 
silting  up.  The  valley  itself  through  which  the  Shire  flows, 
is  broad,  bounded  on  either  side  by  distant  mountains,  that 
may  in  some  early  era  have  been  lapped  by  the  waters  of 
the  lake.  Now  swamps  intervene,  and  for  miles  are  covered 
with  the  bushy  light-green  papyrus.  The  lake  itself  opens 
up  only  gradually  out  of  its  swampy  surroundings  ;  its  shores 
appear  flat  and  lose  themselves  in  the  distance.  The  waters 
themselves  gleam  in  the  brilliant  sunshine  a  silvery  blue,  or 
under  a  storm-clouded  sky  take  on  a  deep  indigo  blue.  But 
in  a  few  hours  the  prospect  changes  again.  Already  at 
Livingstonia,  on  Cape  Maclear,  mountains  of  granite, 
clothed  to  the  summit  in  living  green,  contrast  with  the  silver 
sand  of  the  shore.  And  before  the  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  have  been  traversed  to  the  northern  end.  the  lake  is 
found  to  occupy  the  trough  of  gigantic  granite  ranges. 
Along  the  west  they  rise  almost  without  a  real  break,  vary- 
ing from  one  to  three  or  even  four  thousand  feet,  and  often 
presenting  a  sheer  precipice  to  the  voyager.  The  north  and 
northeast  is  closed  by  the  vast  Livingstonia  Range,  whose 
summits  pierce  the  clouds  and  fling  up  their  heads  thirteen 
thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  All  along  the  lake  anchorages 
are  neither  too  numerous  nor  too  well-sheltered,  and  sudden 
storms   infrequently  sweep  down. 

By  this  route  the  pioneers  sought  their  field  of  labor.  On 
May  20.  1891,  they  landed  in  Quelimane,  hearty  and  well. 
Chinde  had  not  yet  become  a  port  of  entry.  Hence  the 
most  northern  arm  of  the  delta  of  the  Zambezi,  the  Quaqua, 
had  to  be  traversed  before  the  broad  river  could  be  entered. 
But  the  "Stevenson,"  the  river-steamer  of  the  African 
Lakes  Company,  with  which  they  were  to  have  sailed,  was 
already  at  Vincente.  at  the  head  of  the  delta,  and  there  im- 
patiently awaited  them.  Two  small  native  boats  had  been 
sent  to  convey  them  thither  as  speedily  as  possible.  But 
these  boats,  manned  by  native  paddlers,  could  accommodate 
very  little  of  their  baggage  in  addition  to  their  persons. 
Most  of  their  equipment  had  therefore  to  be  left  in  Queli- 
mane.   to   be    furthered   by   the   next   opportunity.      Tn    the 


THE    jOURXEV    OF   THE    PIONEERS.  13 

•event,  it  proved  that  this  could  be  done  onl)-  by  install- 
ments. Hut  what  of  the  baggage  was  the  absolute  neces- 
sary? And  where  were  just  these  articles  stowed  away? 
They  had  not  packed  with  a  view  to  such  an  emergency. 
In  haste  decisions  had  to  be  reached,  and  experience  was 
wanting.  So  it  happened  that  in  the  event  much  that  was 
most  necessary  remained  behind.  Chests  that  would  have 
been  invaluable  on  the  caravan  march  among  the  hills  north 
of  the  lake  and  that  should  have  been  at  hand  for  the  first 
period  of  the  work  of  founding  their  station,  arrived  a  year 
■or  so  later  with  their  practically  lost  contents,  lost  because 
spoilt. 

For  the  rest  the  river  journey  passed  uneventfully.  Ka- 
tunga  on  the  Shire  was  reached  on  June  6.  Here  the  over- 
land portage  begins.  After  the  long  confinement  on  the 
deck  of  a  ship,  now  become  monotonous  and  wearisome, 
it  was  a  pleasurable  sensation  to  be  permitted  to  wander 
freely,  a  sensation  not  unattended  with  romance  in  that  the 
wanderings  led  through  the  primeval  forests  of  a  compara- 
tively unknown  part  of  Africa,  where  the  luxuriance  of  the 
tropics  spread  its  charm  on  every  hand.  But  strenuous 
efifort  and  wearying  exertion  are  called  forth  by  a  march 
of  many  days  in  intense  heat,  where  the  only  relief  for  tired 
feet  can  be  found  in  the  "Maschilo,"  a  sort  of  hammock, 
stretched  along  a  pole,  borne  by  native  porters,  who  are 
ever  and  again  relieved  by  their  fellows.  Nor  is  it  exactly 
comfortable  to  lie  in  this  great  net  and  suffer  oneself  to 
be  carried  like  a  load.  And  unfortunately  here  too.  as  in 
the  case  of  the  river  journey  from  Ouelimane.  our  travellers 
■suffered  themselves  to  be  needlessly  hurried,  because  an- 
other steamer,  the  "Domira,"  was  waiting  for  them  at  Ma- 
tope.  Hence  again  there  was  a  lack  of  the  desirable  plan- 
ning and  preparation  for  the  march. 

The  first  day  indeed  passed  fortunately.  Partly  on  foot 
and  now  in  the  hammock,  they  reached  Mandala  in  a  con- 
tented and  comfortable  condition.  This  stage  amounts  to 
only  a  dozen  miles,  no  great  strain  therefore.  Here  a  Sun- 
day's rest  was  to  be  enjoyed,  and  from  this  place  it  was  eas- 


14  HSTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

ily  possible  to  visit  the  Scotch  mission  station,  Blantyre^ 
with  its  well-known  and  really  imposing  church.  Both 
mind  and  body  were  the  better  from  the  refreshment  thus 
enjoyed.  And  the  plan  to  press  forward  in  the  new  week 
could  be  entertained  with  satisfaction.  But  that  same  even- 
ing three  of  the  pioneers  succumbed  to  fever,  and  a  bad 
night  followed.  The  following  morning  found  them  jaded 
and  really  unfit  for  travel.  Nor  was  the  fourth  in  much 
better  condition.  Late  in  the  evening  he  had  gone  to  Blan- 
tyre  for  medicine  for  his  three  companions  and  had  spent 
the  night  watching  them.  Nevertheless  they  resolved  to 
press  forward  under  the  unfortunate  misapprehension  that 
the  "Domini"  must  be  reached  the  same  evening  at  Matope. 
The  distance  in  and  of  itself  is  indeed  not  too  great  for 
a  single  day  under  favorable  circumstances.  But  for  fev- 
ered men !  And  under  the  conditions  imposed  by  the  for- 
mation of  the  country  and  the  state  of  the  path !  That  was 
quite  another  matter.  The  narrow,  steep  paths  led  up  and 
down  rocky  hillsides  covered  with  thorny  undergrowth.. 
The  rainy  season  had  scarcely  come  to  an  end  and  the  atmo- 
sphere of  the  hot,  moist  valleys  was  almost  insupportable. 
Not  only  was  there  haste  to  reach  the  "Domira,"  but  a  tent 
and  other  means  for  camping  were  lacking.  Provisions- 
failed.  It  was  a  necessity  to  reach  Matope  by  nightfall. 
But  only  three  Maschilos  and  porters  for  the  three  hacl 
been  procurable.  Therefore  one  of  the  four  pioneers  must 
make  the  trip  on  foot,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  it  must 
be  the  one  who  had  remained  free  from  fever,  viz..  Theophil 
Richard.  At  noon  the  only  nourishment  to  be  had  con- 
sisted of  a  few  English  biscuits  and  a  pot  of  tea.  The  af- 
ternoon hours  were  attended  with  actual  torture  for  the 
lonely  wanderer.  At  some  distance  before  or  behind  him 
he  heard  the  voices  of  the  porters.  To  weariness  a  burning 
thirst  was  added.  Now  the  evening  drew  on.  The  narrow 
sickle  of  the  moon  shed  a  pale  light  on  the  narrow  path, 
but  gave  no  indication  of  a  means  for  quenching  thirst. 
His  hope  lay  in  obtaining  a  few  drops  of  water,  when  the 
bearers  brought  his  comrades  up  to  where  he  stood.     But 


THE    JOURNEY    OF   THE    I'lONEERS.  15 

the  water  bottle  of  the  first  was  already  empty.  After  a 
long  interval  the  second  Maschilo  appeared.  In  it  lay  a 
fever  patient  in  such  a  condition  that  he  had  neither  hearing 
nor  understanding  for  any  question.  Now  Richard  placed 
his  hope  on  the  last.  But  he  too  lay  unconscious.  So  his 
bearers  carry  him  on  and  now  the  weary,  thirsty  wanderer 
is  alone,  the  last  in  the  line  of  march.  Often  he  must  stand 
still  from  pain  and  exhaustion.  The  distance  between  him 
and  his  companions  widens.  Darkness  deepens.  How  far 
is  it  to  Matope?  He  does  not  know.  In  reality  it  requires 
two  more  hours  of  torturing  progress.  Alone  in  the  African 
wilderness,  with  the  sounds  of  tropical  night  and  the  call 
of  fierce  beasts  around  him,  it  is  only  unshaken  faith  in 
God  that  sustains  him.  At  la^t,  at  9  o'clock,  he  stands  be- 
fore the  houses  of  Matope.  His  goal  reached,  he  is  again 
ready  to  be  of  assistance  to  his  fevered  companions. 

But  still  more  severe  trials  awaited  them.  For  the  im- 
mediately ensuing  days,  indeed,  an  easier  period  set  in.  The 
passage  of  the  lake  proved  pleasant.  The  patients  could 
rest  and  recover.  On  June  24  they  lanrled  at  Karonga,  a 
post  of  the  African  Lakes'  Company  on  the  western  shore 
of  the  northern  end  of  the  lake.  Here  they  could  make 
good  some  of  the  articles  of  their  outfit,  left  behind  at 
Ouelimane.  A  large  number  of  porters  could  be  secured, 
and  a  tent,  camp-cots,  underwear,  clothing,  cooking  uten- 
sils— in  short  the  indispensable  articles  for  a  march— were 
purchased.  Of  provisions  however  they  should  have  laid 
in  a  larger  stock.  True  they  had  reckoned  with  a  tour  of 
a  comparatively  few  days.  But  various  circumstances,  and 
in  particular  frequently  recurring  and  severe  attacks  of 
fever  weakened  the  travelers  and  prolonged  the  march  far 
beyond  expectations.  Trying  and  anxious  days  followed. 
Nature  about  them  might  unfold  its  beauty,  but  a  wearied, 
fevered  man  is  not  apt  to  be  in  a  rece])tive  mood. 

Their  next  goal  was  Kararamuka,  a  former  outpost  of 
the  Scotch  missionaries,  but  now  abandoned  l)ecause  lying 
in  German  territory.  It  was  on  the  ninth  day  after  leaving 
Karonga   tliat   they   arrived   here,   all    four  either  suffering 


16  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

from  fever,  or  wholly  enervated  by  attacks  of  fever.  The 
ruined  remnants  of  houses  were  to  afford  them  some  shel- 
ter, that  from  this  point  of  vantage  their  tours  of  exploration 
might  be  made.  Lying  low,  as  it  does,  it  was  a  foregone 
conclusion,  that  Kararamuka  itself  could  not  be  their  per- 
manent base  of  missionary  operations.  Rather  a  way  must 
be  found  to  the  elevated  plateau,  and  some  spot  upon  it 
dedicated  to  missionary  purposes.  Therefore  after  they 
had  for  some  time  rested  and  to  some  extent  recovered 
from  the  effects  of  the  journey.  Meyer  and  Richard,  ac- 
companied by  native  guides  and  porters,  set  out  to  spy  the 
land. 

North  of  Lake  Nyasa  the  country  rises  precipitously, 
some  of  the  mountain  peaks  reaching  a  height  of  9000  feet, 
whilst  to  the  northeast  the  Livingstonia  Range  is  still  higher. 
At  times  the  precipitous  mountain  sides  appear  to  be  scarce- 
ly accessible.  Nor  is  the  ascent  anywhere  easy,  since  it  must 
be  made  by  means  of  the  torrents  that  dash  down  savage 
gorges,  rent  in  the  walls  of  rock.  The  narrow  paths  lead 
up  just  where  these  torrents  have  broken  a  way.  Many  a 
zig-zag  must  be  made  into  side-valleys,  before  the  plateau 
itself  is  reached.  But  at  last  the  ascent  rewards  toil.  Beau- 
tiful landscapes  open  out  on  every  side.  And  here  among 
the  Konde  people,  on  the  whole  a  peaceful,  pastoral  folk, 
whose  cattle  constitute  their  chief  wealth,  the  explorers 
come  to  the  fixed  conviction :  "Here  is  the  place  where  our 
Lord  w^ould  have  us  build  and  begin  to  proclaim  His  mes- 
sage." 

But  meanwhile  Martin  lay  desperately  ill  at  Kararamuka, 
and  Haefner  had  to  remain  with  him,  instead  of  hastening 
to  their  aid  for  the  work  preliminary  to  the  founding  of 
the  station.  Nor  had  the  two  pioneers  any  conception  of 
his  serious  condition. 

Then  came  a  note  one  day,  written  in  a  trembling  hand : 
"Come,  come!  George  is  no  longer  alive!"  Haefner  had 
not  been  even  in  a  condition  to  nurse  his  dying  friend.  Both 
had  been  at  times  unconscious,  cared  for  in  some  sort  of 
fashion  by  the  friendly  blacks.    Often  each  was  too  helpless 


THE    JOUKXEV    OF   THE    PIONEERS.  17 

to  be  aware  that  the  other  existed.  And  so  it  came  that  on 
the  morning  of  September  10.  George  Martin  was  found 
motionless  on  his  cot.  whilst  Haefner,  unclear  as  to  the 
time  and  hour  of  his  departure,  could  scarcely  master 
enough  consciousness  to  realize  that  the  soul  of  his  com- 
panion had  departed.  His  first  effort  had  been  to  write  this 
note.  Soon  Meyer  and  Richard  returned,  and  buried  their 
dead.  So  here  as  elsewhere  the  path  of  the  missionaries' 
advance  in  Africa  was  marked  by  a  grave-stone  at  the  very 
first.  The  loss  was  severe,  not  only  through  its  effect  on  the 
spirits  of  the  sur\avors.  Martin  was  a  practical  carpenter 
and  as  such  his  services  had  seemed  essential  for  the  found- 
ing of  the  first  station ;  and  his  traits  of  character  were  such 
that  would  have  proved  most  valuable  for  smoothing  the 
difficulties  that  are  likely  to  arise  in  connection  with  colle- 
giate work.    But  God  willed  it  otherwise. 


18  HIStORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

CHAPTER  III. 

GETTING  A  FOOTHOLD. 

It  was  on  the  21st  of  August, -1891,  for  members  of  the 
Moravian  Church  a  day  of  days  in  all  the  year,  as  the  anni- 
versary of  the  commencement  of  Moravian  Missions  in 
1732,  that  Meyer  and  Richard  settled  upon  the  spot  where 
their  first  station  in  Nyasaland  should  be  founded.  It  lay 
in  the  territory  of  Chief  Muakapalile,  and  near  his  village, 
on  a  grass-clad  open  hill,  one  of  the  foot-hills  of  the  Rungwe 
mountain,  wdth  a  height  of  about  4500  feet,  whilst  the  lofty 
peak  of  the  main  range  itself  towers  up  an  additional  three 
thousand  feet. 

Time  has  justified  the  judgment  of  the  pioneers,  for  no 
mission-station  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  German  East 
Africa  possesses  such  natural  attractions.  Beautiful  views 
open  out  in  every  direction.  To  the  north  towers  the  moun- 
tain, that  has  given  its  name  to  this  settlement.  Eastward 
rises  the  peak  of  a  fallen-in  crater  with  its  solidified  streams 
of  lava  and  ashes  reaching  down  to  the  plain.  Farther  to 
the  east  wave  the  trees  of  an  extensive  forest,  whence  the 
necessary  timber  for  building  purposes  could  be  obtained. 
The  west  overlooks  fields  that  slope  down  to  the  stream  that 
has  worn  out  the  valley  in  the  course  of  ages,  and  beyond 
it  the  view  is  closed  by  a  low  range  of  hills.  On  one  is 
pointed  out  the  sacred  grove  of  the  chief,  where  he  ofifers 
to  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors.  To  the  south  the  vision 
sweeps  down  to  an  extensive,  and  for  the  most  part  arid 
plain,  with  here  and  there  villages  of  the  Konde  folk,  nest- 
ling amid  groves  of  bananas.  In  its  turn  this  plain  is  bound- 
ed by  a  lofty,  wall-like  plateau,  the  Malila. 

The  actual  residence  of  the  chief  is  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  removed  from  the  spot  selected,  with  his  consent,  as 
the  site  of  the  mission.  But  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  chosen  location  lies  another  village.  The  steep  slopes 
near  the  natural  terrace  on  which  the  station  is  to  be  built 
are  for  the  most  part  bare,  but  in  the  ravines  stately  forest 
trees   flourish.      Good   soil  abounds,   later   demonstrated  to 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^I^^IE         ^^j^^B^jjm^ 

^^^Hf^HV^^^^^^^^^^I^^^B                                                ^^^^^V^^^^^^^^H^ 

g^-^'p" 

pff_      ' 

ife 

^ 

Jl^ 

^^^flPP^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^tiff  jb^^^i             J^^^^^l 

-^•%; 
^    ^ 

^^^H 

1  r-^                   "^^Jfr  «i^BHHK 

...^^M 

LANDSCAPE   NEAR    RUNGWE. 


GETTING   A   FOOTHOLD.  19 

be  capable  of  producing  European  vegetables.  In  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  a  layer  of  clay  is  discovered,  adapted  to 
the  production  of  bricks,  the  material  of  the  later,  perma- 
nent houses  of  the  mission.  A  number  of  clear  sweet 
springs  take  their  rise  from  this  hill  and  on  the  eastern 
side  of  it  a  brook  dashes  down  a  stony  raivne.  The  atmo- 
sphere is  good  and  the  climate  appears  to  be  salubrious. 
Experience  has  since  taught  that  the  spot  is  almost  free 
from  fever.  Though  the  temperature  is  in  general  high, 
there  are  seasons,  when  the  thermometer  in  the  evening  and 
in  the  morning  registers  only  50  cleg,  or  even  43  (leg.  Fahr- 
enheit. 

Here  then  with  the  aid  of  Haefner,  who  recovered  soon 
after  Martin's  death  sufficiently  to  join  his  companions  and 
lend  a  hand,  the  pioneers  erected  their  first  provisional  house 
so  as  to  have  a  shelter,  when  the  rainy  season  set  in,  during 
the  second  half  of  November.  Here  as  in  the  case  of  the 
subsequently  founded  stations  the  first  buildings  must  be 
provisional  in  character,  honses  of  bamboo,  thatched  with 
grass.  Experience  must  teach  what  is  demanded  by  local 
and  climatic  conditions,  and  only  experience  can  call  forth 
skill  in  the  forming  of  bricks  from  just  the  required  quality 
of  clay.  It  was  therefore  November,  1892,  before  the  first 
more  permanent  house  was  completed  in  Rungwe,  and  the 
first  church  was  not  finished  until  two  years  later.  Mean- 
while coincident  with  the  completion  of  the  first  permanent 
house  reenforcements  were  received  in  the  persons  of 
Johann  Kretschmer  and  Traugott  P.achmann. 

The  work  of  erecting  permanent  dwellings  possessed  an- 
other significance,  however,  in  addition  to  its  primary  pur- 
pose. Just  this  task  brought  the  missionaries  into  close  con- 
tact with  the  people.  They  had  brought  with  them  a  number 
of  workmen  from  Karonga,  men  who  had  already  learnt 
from  the  Scotch  missionaries  how  to  proceed  with  a  certain 
degree  of  skill.  Under  these  as  foremen  a  great  company  of 
men,  women  and  children  were  employed,  who  came  for- 
ward from  Rungwe  and  the  neighboring  villages  with  the 
consent  of  the  chief,  and  proceeded  to  assemble  at  the  place 


20  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

all  the  needful  materials.  Steadiness  and  persistency  in  labor 
could  indeed  scarcely  be  reckoned  with.  If  at  any  time 
other  work  or  some  amusement  appeared  to  a  man  to  be  of 
more  importance  for  him,  he  simply  stayed  away.  But  on 
the  whole  the  supply  of  laborers  proved  sufficient.  Often 
about  one  hundred  appeared  in  the  morning;  at  times  the 
number  ran  as  high  as  three  hundred.  All  of  these  people 
worked  only  a  day  at  a  time,  and  provided  their  own  food, 
returning  in  the  evening  to  their  homes.  The  Karonga  men 
on  the  other  hand  built  for  themselves  huts  on  the  spot.  That 
at  first  it  was  not  easy  to  maintain  discipline  among  this 
motley  crowd  of  strangers,  whose  language  was  wholly  un- 
known, goes  without  saying.  And  yet  order  was  maintain- 
ed. At  the  commencement  some  thought  to  shirk  their  full 
task  and  still  possess  the  right  to  claim  full  pay.  Sometimes 
articles  were  missed.  Men  took  home  in  evening  what  did 
not  belong  to  them.  But  the  people  proved  amenable  to  dis- 
cipline; theft  met  with  punishment,  and  became  less  fre- 
quent. Order  improved  from  week  to  week.  It  soon  be- 
came evident  that  the  handful  of  strangers  exercised  a  pow- 
erful moral  influence  over  the  multitude  of  natives.  When 
the  singing  of  loose  songs,  to  which  some  of  the  young  fel- 
lows showed  an  inclination,  was  forbidden,  the  prohibition 
was  regarded.  Gradually  the  first  house  advanced  and  at 
length  stood  complete,  for  Nyasaland  an  almost  imposing  ob- 
ject if  only  a  plain  and  simple  dwelling.  Thanks  to  its  large 
and  projecting  thatched  roof  it  was  found  to  be  compara- 
tively cool.  By  the  end  of  December,  1894,  the  first  place  of 
worship  was  also  finished  and  ready  for  dedication. 

Meantime  it  proved  of  the  highest  importance  for  the  mis- 
sionaries personally  and  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  pur- 
pose in  view,  that  they  did  not  stand  wholly  isolated  in  the 
land.  In  accordance  with  the  agreement  reached  by  the  two 
directing  boards  the  new  attempt  of  the  Moravian  Church 
was  made  in  the  vicinity  of  the  pioneer  settlement  of  the 
Berlin  missionaries.  On  October  2  the  latter  had  reached 
the  spot  east  of  the  northern  end  of  Lake  Nyasa,  where 
they  founded  Wangemannshoh.    A  temporary  boundary  be- 


GETTING    A    FOOTHOLD.  21 

tween  the  two  missions  had  been  determined  upon,  to  be 
more  exactly  regulated  by  later  negotiations.  Within  easy 
distance  of  each  other,  actuate:!  by  the  same  principles  and 
following  essentially  the  same  methods,  the  rc]:)resentatives 
of  the  two  societies  now  cordially  su])i)orted  each  other  in 
the  most  disinterested  manner.  IMutually  each  learnt  from 
the  experiences  of  the  other,  and  the  results  of  the  study  of 
the  language  made  by  each  were  placed  at  the  service  of 
both.    Most  fraternal  relations  prevailed. 

Very  early  the  value  of  the  mission  to  the  colonial  govern- 
ment in  its  attempt  to  reduce  the  land  to  order  through 
peaceful  means  came  very  clearly  to  light.  Even  though  they 
had  not  yet  been  long  in  the  land  the  missionaries  had  won 
the  confidence  of  the  people.  The  latter  were  not  slow  to 
discriminate  between  their  purpose  and  those  of  other  strang- 
ers. It  was  not  surprising  therefore  that  they  were  soon  called 
upon  to  mediate  between  the  government  and  the  native 
chieftains  and  in  their  character  as  messengers  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace  prevented  bloodshed.  Towards  the  end  of  the  year 
1893  a  feud  broke  out  between  certain  native  tribes  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rungwe.  Representatives  of  one  of  these  tribes, 
the  Basafwa,  had  pushed  themselves  wedge-fashion  from  the 
north  into  the  territory  of  the  Konde.  Now  Muasicge,  a 
Konde  chief,  made  a  raid  and  stole  cattle  from  a  village  of 
the  intrusive  Basafwa.  In  accordance  with  the  ancient  cus- 
tom of  the  land  chief  Muangupiri  retaliated,  broke  into 
Muasicge's  village  and  made  ofif  with  ten  women.  There- 
with he  regarded  the  act  of  the  other  as  counterbalanced, 
both  parties  quits  and  a  basis  for  peace  provided.  But  the 
local  representative  of  the  colonial  government.  Baron  von 
Eltz,  viewed  the  matter  otherwise.  For  in  the  period  be- 
tween the  two  hostile  acts  by  virtue  of  his  powers  as  the  dis- 
trict governor  in  Langenburg,  he  proclaimed  the  German 
rule  in  the  land,  and  with  it  a  new  order  of  things.  Muangu- 
piri's  act  was  contrary  to  law,  and  must  be  punished,  for  the 
colonial  government  neither  could  nor  would  recognize  old 
customs  in  connection  with  barbarous  feuds.    A  detachment 


22  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

of  armed  men  was  sent  to  the  Basafwa  village  to  demand 
the  surrender  of  the  captured  women  and  the  punishment  of 
the  guilty  raiders.  Quite  naturally  this  crossed  the  African 
conception  of  justice,  and  the  Basafwa  stoutly  refused  to 
accede  to  these  demands.  In  their  village  stronghold  they 
laughed  at  the  threats  of  the  askaris  and  hurled  spears 
against  them  as  their  reply.  "What  the  Africans  had  to 
settle  between  themselves,  was  no  afifair  of  the  whites,"  they 
said.  "But  if  the  white  lord  wanted  war,  they  were  ready." 
With  the  spears  whizzing  about  his  head.  Lieutenant  Bauer 
had  to  withdraw.  A  large  military  expedition  seemed 
requisite  in  order  to  restore  the  prestige  of  the  government. 
Then  Theodore  Meyer  of  Rungwe  offered  to  attempt  media- 
tion, and  Baron  von  Eltz  readily  fell  in  with  the  proposal.  A 
peaceful  issue  of  the  afifair  would  be  very  welcome  to  him. 
But  he  demanded  that  in  any  case  Muangupiri  should  pay  a 
heavy  fine  in  cattle  to  the  government  after  he  had  restored 
the  women  to  the  Konde  villagers.  It  required  persuasion 
and  many  negotiations  on  the  part  of  the  missionary.  But 
in  the  end  the  Basafwa  chief  was  willing  to  surrender  the 
women  and  did  this  in  April,  1894.  On  the  other  hand  no 
persuasion  could  bring  the  proud  chief  to  the  conviction  that 
a  fine  was  due  the  German  colonial  government.  "The 
strange  lord  had  given  him  nothing,  and  shown  him  no  favor. 
Why  should  he  recognize  this  stranger  as  a  judge  and  pay 
a  fine  imposed  by  him  ?"  It  took  no  little  efifort  to  make  it 
clear  to  the  chief,  that  in  actual  fact  the  acquirement  of  the 
rule  by  the  Germans  was  a  benefaction  foi  the  land  and  its 
people,  the  value  of  which  they  would  acknowledge  later. 
Long  and  tedious  negotiations  were  requisite,  before  the  fine 
was  at  last  paid,  and  then  only  in  driblets.  Yet  paid  it  was. 
The  prestige  of  the  government  was  preserved.  And  thus 
a  bloody  war  was  prevented,  with  its  sequel  of  bitter  animos- 
ity and  turbulence. 

Similar  services  were  rendered  by  the  mission  in  the 
southern  portion  of  the  territory,  near  Lake  Nyasa.  Here 
was  the  home  of  a  number  of  chiefs,  who  for  a  considerable 
time  refused  to  recognize  the  sovereignty  of  Germany.    The 


GETTING    A    FOOTHOLD.  23 

most  powerful  among  them  was  a  certain  Muakatundu.  A 
murder  was  committed  within  the  territory  of  this  man,  and 
Baron  von  Eltz  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  murderer 
for  trial  and  ])unishment.  Muakatundu  emphatically  declin- 
ed to  accede  to  this  demand.  "In  his  territory  he  was  lord 
of  life  and  death  and  suffered  no  one  to  dictate  to  him.  The 
white  man  in  Langenl)urg  was  no  concern  of  his.  If  it  was 
intended  to  try  to  com]:)el  him  hy  force,  he  was  ready." 
Baron  von  Eltz  sought  to  avoid  recourse  to  this  extreme 
measure ;  yet  yield  his  point  he  coukl  not  and  was  determined 
if  it  must  be  to  back  his  demands  by  force.  War  seemed  in- 
evitable. This  was  in  November,  1894.  A  mission  station 
had  in  the  meantime  been  commenced  in  the  vicinity  of 
Muakatundu's  home,  and  here  Richard  was  stationed,  at 
Ipyana.  Baron  von  Eltz  sent  word  to  him.  that  he  could 
not  guarantee  his  safety,  since  the  issue  would  probably  be 
fought  out  near  the  new  mission  station.  But  again  the  gov- 
ernor sought  to  gain  his  end  preferably  by  peaceful  meas- 
ures, and  to  this  end  sumomned  the  chiefs  to  come  to  Lan- 
genburg.  They  refused.  Thereupon  he  requested  Richard 
to  use  his  influence  with  them  in  the  interests  of  peace.  He 
gladly  accepted  the  commission  andhis  representations  were 
effective  with  a  number  of  them.  Yet  Muakatundu  remained 
stubborn.  At  length  after  much  persuasion  this  defiant  chief 
consented  to  a  compromise.  Two  of  his  advisers  should  go 
to  Langenburg  and  negotiate  in  his  name  with  the  white 
lord.  But  he  demanded  as  a  condition  that  the  missionary 
should  accompany  them.  This  seemed  to  him  a  guarantee 
for  the  safe  return  of  the  men.  Richard  was  disappointed. 
He  had  hoped  to  effect  more.  Still  even  this  was  something 
gained,  and  so  he  was  content  to  abide  by  it.  T.ut  next  morn- 
ing to  his  great  surprise  Muakatundu  himself  appeared  at 
Ipyana  and  came  to  the  missionary  with  the  question:  "Now, 
when  shall  we  start?  I  am  ready."  At  the  last  moment  he 
had  resolved  to  go  to  Langenburg  in  person.  Richard  gladly 
hastened  his  preparations  and  joined  the  chieftains  in  their 
journey  to  Langenburg.  The  interview  with  Baron  von 
Eltz   passed  off  contrary  to  expectation  very  smoothly    and 


24  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

easily.  The  missionary  was  able  to  contribute  much  towards 
the  removal  of  the  threatening  misunderstanding.  It  appear- 
ed that  thus  far  the  Baron  had  sent  all  his  messages  to  the 
son  of  the  chief.  It  had  been  told  him,  that  the  son  really 
possessed  the  power  in  the  tribe.  No  message  had  been  sent 
to  the  father.  And  this  had  been  regarded  by  him  as  an 
insult;  hence  the  hostile  attitude.  Now  he  was  ready  to 
yield  and  atone.  Peace  was  assured ;  in  fact  the  Baron  and 
the  chief  found  cause  for  mutual  respect. 

Nor  were  these  the  only  occasions,  when  bloodshed  was 
prevented  by  the  intervention  of  the  missionaries.  Repeat- 
edly they  have  been  in  a  position  to  promote  mutual  under- 
standings between  the  colonial  officials  and  the  tribal  leaders. 
Theirs  has  been  the  task  repeatedly  to  mitigate  bitter  feelings 
against  the  new  rules,  to  curb  and  tame  wild  spirits,  and  to 
bring  the  restive  to  a  readiness  to  obey  and  abide  by  the  de- 
mands of  law  and  order. 

Thus  even  the  first  years  of  toilsome  building  operations, 
and  of  tedious  linguistic  study,  years  of  much  patient  pre- 
liminary labor  before  a  single  convert  could  be  won,  proved 
to  be  time  in  no  way  lost.  The  pioneers  came  into  contact 
with  ever  increasing  numbers  of  natives,  and  won  their  con- 
fidence and  good  will.  Not  only  were  they  able  to  promote 
the  peace  between  the  government  and  the  tribes ;  chieftains 
themselves  selected  them  as  arbitrators  in  internal  strife, 
relying  upon  their  disinterestedness  and  uprightness. 


THE  LAND  AND   ITS   TRIBES.  25 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   LAND   AND    ITS  TRICES. 

Professor  Henry  Drumniond  in  his  Tropical  Africa  de- 
scribes the  interior  as  follows:  "Nothing  could  more  wildly 
misrepresent  the  reality  than  the  idea  of  one's  school  days 
that  the  heart  of  Africa  is  a  desert.  Africa  rises  from  its 
three  environing  oceans  in  three  great  tiers — first,  a  coast- 
line, low  and  deadly ;  farther  in,  a  plateau  the  height  of  the 
Grampians ;  farther  in  still,  a  higher  plateau,  covering  the 
country  for  thousands  of  miles  with  mountain  and  valley. 
Now^  fill  in  this  sketch,  and  you  have  Africa  before  you. 
Cover  the  coast  belt  with  rank  and  yellow  grass,  dot  here 
and  there  a  palm ;  scatter  through  it  a  few  demoralized  vil- 
lages; and  stock  it  with  the  leopard,  the  hyena,  the  croco- 
dile and  the  hippopotamus.  Clothe  the  mountainous  plateaus 
next^both  of  them — with  endless  forest,  not  grand  um- 
brageous forest  like  the  forests  of  South  America,  nor 
matted  jungle  Hke  the  forests  of  India,  but  with  thin,  rather 
weak  forest, — with  forest  of  low  trees,  whose  half-grown 
trunks  and  scanty  leaves  ofifer  no  shade  from  the  tropical 
sun.  Nor  is  there  anything  in  these  trees  to  the  casual  eye 
to  remind  you  that  you  are  in  the  tropics.  Here  and  there 
one  comes  upon  a  borassus  or  fan-palm,  a  candelebra-like 
euphorbia,  a  mimosa  aflame  with  ctdor.  or  a  sepulchral 
baobab.  A  close  inspection  also  will  discover  curious  creep- 
ers and  climbers ;  and  among  the  branches  orchids  hide  their 
eccentric  flowers.  But  the  outward  type  of  tree  is  the 
same  as  we  have  at  home — trees  resembling  the  a§h, 
the  beech  and  the  elm,  only  seldom  so  large,  except 
by  the  streams,  and  never  so  beautiful.  Day  after  day  you 
may  wander  throrgli  these  forests  with  nothing  except  the 
climate  to  remind  you  where  you  are.  The  beasts,  to  be 
sure,  are  different,  but  unless  you  watch  for  them  you  will 
seldom  see  any ;  the  birds  are  different,  but  you  will  rarely 
hear  them ;  and  as  for  the  rocks,  they  are  our  own  familiar 
gneisses  and  granites,  with  honest  basalt-dykes  boring 
through  them,  and  leopard-skin  lichens  staining  their  weath- 


26  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

ered  sides.  Thousands  and  thousands  of  miles,  then,  of 
vast  thin  forest,  shadeless  and  trackless,  voiceless — forest 
in  mountain  and.  plain — this  is  East  Central  Africa." 

But  this  description  dates  from  the  time,  when  German 
East  Africa  was  an  unknown  land,  except  so  far  as  a  strip 
along  the  main  lines  of  communication  was  traversed  by 
explorers.  Such  generalization  no  longer  satisfies.  This 
colony  has  its  diversity  of  landscapes,  a  thing  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  when  it  is  considered  that  its  area  is  practically 
double  that  of  the  German  Empire  in  Europe.  In  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  coast,  for  example  in  Usambara  and  Usagara, 
and  north  of  Lake  Nyasa.  there  are  regions  that  present  a 
most  attractive  appearance,  with  their  wealth  of  streams 
and  of  vegetation  and  the  well  cultivated  plantations  of  the 
native  races.  On  the  other  hand  there  are  also  landscapes 
far  more  dreary  than  the  average  depicted  by  Drummond. 
The  steppe  to  the  south  of  Kilimanjaro  or  the  vast  wilder- 
ness of  Ugogo  counterbalance  the  picturesque  attractiveness 
of  the  choice  spots.  Eor  here  during  the  rainy  season  noth- 
irg  meets  the  eye  except  coarse  grass  taller  than  a  man, 
sometimes  brc^ken  by  muddy  pools,  and  in  the  dry  period  a 
dreary,  numotonous,  tawny  plain,  after  the  frequent  fires 
literally  covered  with  ashes  and  stones.  In  spite  of  a  gen- 
eral uniformity,  even  different  parts  of  the  so-called  Fori, 
i.  e.,  the  forest,  vary  somewhat  in  character.  Here  there 
is  a  good  deal  of  underwood,  so  that  one  is  every  minute  in 
darger  of  ones'  face  brushing  against  a  branch  or  one's  foot 
or  knee  coming  into  collision  with  the  stump  of  a  tree. 
There,  again,  are  the  most  beautiful  tall  trees,  with  huge 
stems  and  broad  crests. 

In  short  the  wide  extent  of  German  East  Africa  makes 
uniformity  of  landscape  and  of  quality  of  soil  impossible. 
According  to  a  favorable  estimate,  roughly  speaking,  half 
of  the  colony  may  be  considered  adapted  to  cultivation.  It 
should  be  remembered,  however,  that  its  exploration  can 
scarcely  be  considerei  complete.  At  the  time  when  the 
missionaries  of  the  Moravian  Church  entered  the  land,  this 
was  still  more  true,  and  thev  have  contributed  not  a  little 


THE   LAND   AND   ITS   TRIDES.  27 

towards  the  extension  of  geograpliical  knowledge  of  East 
Equatorial  Africa. 

If  attention  be  now  confined  to  the  region  where  they 
planted  their  stations  and  outposts,  it  will  be  noted  that 
even  with  this  restriction,  Drummond's  generalization  no 
lorger  holds  good.  Three  marked  dei)ressions  stretch  in 
various  directions  from  the  Rungwe  mnuntain;  southwards 
the  Konde  basin,  reaching  to  Lake  Xyasa ;  to  the  west  the 
Rukwa  plateau  and  the  valley  of  the  Songwe.  reaching  to 
the  slowly  receding  waters  of  Lake  Rukwa ;  in  and  to  the 
east  the  wide,  hot  and  dry  Ussangue  plateau.  Between 
these  depressions  rise  extensive  highlands  with  scanty  rain- 
fall, rougher  climate  and  poor  soil.  The  Rungwe  mountain- 
chain  with  the  neighboring  Poloto  and  the  Mbeje  mountain 
constitute  an  extensive  region  of  lofty  highlands,  clad  in 
tropical  vegetation  on  their  slopes  and  rent  with  frequent 
chasms.  From  the  standpoint  of  the  geographer  the  region 
possesses  peculiar  interest.  It  constitutes  the  watershed 
between  the  Rufidji  and  the  Zambesi.  Here,  too,  are  found 
the  sources  of  the  rivers  that  supply  Lake  Rukwa,  and  only 
a  few  days'  journey  to  the  west  of  Rungwe  lie  the  primal 
sources  of  the  Congo.  Hence  the  Rungwe  range  possesses 
a  special  significance  for  the  division  of  African  river  sys- 
tems and  also  for  the  separation  and  meeting  of  the  races 
of  Africa. 

Very  probably  it  is  owing  to  this  geographical  conforma- 
tion, that  the  racial  varieties  of  the  population  are  as  diver- 
sified as  is  the  landscape.  It  would  appear  as  though  to 
these  highlands  along  the  various  watercourses  clans  repre- 
senting very  different  African  peoples  fled  for  refuge  in  the 
internecine  wars  of  tropical  Africa  and  in  consequence  of 
the  raids  carried  on  by  the  Arabs  and  other  hunters  for 
slaves.  Certain  it  is  that  the  varied  nature  of  the  land  and 
its  climate  has  had  its  effect  on  the  people  and  their  mode  of 
life.  Kondeland  is  tropical  in  its  characteristics.  Here  the 
battle  for  existence  is  rendered  comparatively  easy  by  the 
extensive  grassy  spots  suitable  for  grazing  cattle,  l)y  the 
fertile  soil  and  the  abundant  banana  groves,  in  the  shade  of 


28  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

which  the  villages  of  the  people  nestle.  It  is  a  thickly  popu- 
lated district.  At  a  low  estimate  forty  thousand  people  oc- 
cupy the  villages  stretching  in  close  succession  along  the 
streams  of  the  lowlands.  They  are  a  wide-awake  and  lively 
folk,  but  inclined  to  take  life  easy.  Their  neighbors  to  the 
west,  the  Bandali.  occupy  a  mountain  region.  Fortunate 
in  having  abundance  of  rain,  for  the  moisture  laden  clouds 
that  sweep  over  Lake  Nyasa  are  arrested  by  the  high  ranges, 
they  carry  their  fields  almost  to  the  top  of  the  ridges,  and 
are  characterized  by  diligence  and  by  the  love  of  freedom 
so  often  associated  with  mountaineers.  Unyika,  vet  more  to 
the  northwest,  is  a  naturally  poor  and  thinly  inhabited  dis- 
trict. The  Banyika,  occupying  a  far  more  extensive  terri- 
tory than  the  Bandali,  may  number  11,000  as  compared  with 
the  13,CO0  of  the  latter.  Here  forests  abound.  The  villages 
are  small,  the  fields  infrequent.  Villages  and  fields  occupy 
the  slopes  beside  the  water-courses.  Here,  too,  the  struggle 
for  existence  is  not  easy,  and  the  Banyika  are  a  hard-work- 
ing, serious  people,  lighting  up  their  toil,  however,  with 
song,  for  which  they  have  a  special  fondness.  Their  neigh- 
bors in  Bulambia  to  the  south  and  in  Malila  to  the  east  pre- 
sent similar  traits.  In  the  mountainous  region  north  of 
Rungwe  live  the  Basafwa,  rude  people  of  the  forests,  scai^ce- 
ly  touched  by  any  culture,  slow  in  apprehension,  shy,  not 
least  of  all  owing  to  their  long  oppression  by  the  Sango 
chief,  Merere.  To  the  west  of  the  above-mentioned  dis- 
tricts lie  two  rather  extensive  sultanates,  Inamwanga  and 
Tvungu,  the  latter  including  the  lowlands  east  and  south  of 
the  southern  end  of  Lake  Rukwa.  Into  this  last  mentioned 
territory  the  Roman  Catholic  mission,  with  headquarters  On 
Lake  Tanganyika,  seeks  to  penetrate.  Farther  to  the  north 
lies  a  region  that  may  be  characterized  as  almost  uninhabit- 
ed, a  stony,  desolate  plateau  presenting  few  attractions  and 
a  region  of  intense  heat. 

At  least  four  distinct  dialects  or  languages  are  spoken  by 
these  tribes,  and  are  requisite  for  the  conduct  of  missionary 
operations — the  Bakonde,  Bandali,  Banyika  and  Basafwa. 


THE   LAND  AND   ITS  TRIBES.  29 

All  belong  to  the  Bantu  race,  that  vast  family  of  peoples 
occupying  Africa  on  both  sides  of  a  line  drawn  from  Cam- 
eroon to  Daressalam. 


30  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   PEOPLE   OF    NYASALAND   AND   THEIR    MODE   OF    LIFE. 

Drummond  understands  well  how  to  picture  the  simpli- 
city and  poverty  of  the  tribes  north  of  Lake  Nyasa  as  con- 
trasted with  the  complicated  needs  and  artificial  conditions 
of  modern  civilized  Europe.  "Hidden  away  in  these  end- 
less forests,  like  birds'  nests  in  a  wood,  in  terror  of  one  an- 
other and  of  their  common  foe,  the  slaver," — he  writes  of 
the  era  before  the  German  occupation — "are  small  native 
villages ;  and  here  in  his  virgin  simplicity  dwells  the  primeval 
man,  without  clothes,  without  civilization,  without  learning, 
without  religion — the  genuine  child  of  nature,  thoughtless,, 
careless  and  contented.  This  man  is  apparently  cjuite  happy ; 
he  has  practically  no  wants.  One  stick,  pointed,  makes  him 
a  spear;  two  sticks  rubbed  together  make  him  a  fire;  fifty 
sticks  tied  together  make  him  a  house.  The  bark  he  peels 
from  them  makes  his  clothes ;  the  fruits  which  hang  on  them 
form  his  food.  It  is  perfectly  astonishing  when  one  thinks 
of  it  what  nature  can  do  for  the  animal-man,  to  see  with 
what  small  capital  after  all  a  human  being  can  get  through 
the  world.  I  once  saw  an  African  buried.  According  to 
the  custom  of  his  tribe,  his  entire  earthly  possessions — and 
he  was  an  average  commoner — were  buried  with  him.  Into 
the  grave,  after  the  body,  they  lowered  the  dead  man's  pipe, 
then  a  rough  knife,  then  a  mud  bowl,  and  last  his  bow  and 
arrows — the  bow-string  cut  through  the  middle,  a  touching 
symbol  that  its  work  was  done.  This  was  all.  Four  items, 
as  an  auctioneer  would  say,  were  the  whole  belongings  for 
half  a  century  of  this  human  being."  But  when  a  closer 
acquaintance  is  gained,  it  appears  that  this  picturesque  sum- 
mary requires  to  be  considerably  corrected  and  supple- 
mented. 

It  would  be  rather  more  correct  to  affrm  that  the  .Bantus 
of  today  have  reached  a  stage  of  civilization  corresponding 
to  that  of  our  own  Germanic  and  Celtic  forefathers  just  be- 
fore they  were  touched  by  the  higher  civilization  of  Rome. 


A   VILLAGE  IN    NYASALAND. 


PEOPLE  OF    NVASALAXD   AND  TIIEIK    MODE  OF   LIFE.         31 

allowirg  indeed  for  readjustments  rendered  necessary  by 
a  tropical  as  contrasted  with  a  temperate  environment.  True, 
the  parallel  may  not  be  pushed  to  an  extreme,  and  yet  it 
may  serve  a  purpose.  Laid<  of  ability  to  unite  politically 
and  form  i)ermanent  states  of  considerable  dimensions  under 
one  strong  administration  accounts  for  the  ease  with  which 
Africans  have  fallen  a  prey  to  European  conquest.  Pa- 
triarchal conditions  prevail.  Hundreds  of  petty  chieftains 
maintain  their  little  courts  throughout  German  East  Africa, 
each  as  a  rule  independent  of  the  other,  and  all  in  time  more 
or  less  ready  to  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  white 
man  who  arbitrates  between  hereditary  dusky  foes  and  pre- 
vents tribal  warfare.  Occasionally  indeed  one  "sultan"  ex- 
tended his  power  over  his  neighbors  and  founded  and  main- 
tained during  his  lifetime  something  that  approached  kingly 
state.  That  was  the  case  with  Mirambo,  who  in  the  seven- 
ties of  the  nineteenth  century  ruled  over  a  realm  somewhat 
smaller  than  Massachusetts  and  waged  war  successfully 
against  the  Arab  slavers.  But  such  attempts  to  found  a 
federation  of  chieftains  under  the  lead  of  one  recognized 
over-lord  appear  to  have  been  exceptional,  and  the  realm  as 
established  invarialily  crumbled  away  after  the  death  of  the 
founder. 

As  a  rule  the  "sultans"  are  res])ectable,  peace-loving  men, 
possessed  of  good  sense  in  matters  pertaining  to  their  rule 
over  their  vassals.  They  are  not  so  demoralized  by  inhuman 
barbarities  as  were  many  of  their  confreres  in  other  parts 
of  Africa  and  notably  in  the  west.  Succession  in  office  is 
often  through  the  brother  and  not  through  the  son  or  heir. 
Is  a  raid  successful  or  has  a  war  ended  victoriously  the  chief 
receives  his  special  share  of  the  booty.  Has  he  to  entertain 
strangers  as  guests,  his  people  contribute  provisions  for  them. 
He  has  servants,  who  till  his  fields.  He  has  counselors,  who 
must  advise  him,  and  who  have  also  a  right  to  be  heard. 
When  he  issues  his  summons,  they  are  obligated  to  appear, 
but  he  is  also  obliged  to  furnish  them  with  food  at  such  a 
time.  The  power  of  these  chieftains  is  restricted  very  ma- 
terially I)\-  the  rights  of  the  people.     Untrammeled  tyranny 


32  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

is  not  met  with  here.  Removals  from  the  office  are  not 
unknown,  when  a  chief  becomes  incapacitated  through  old 
age,  or  when  he  has  outraged  the  people's  sense  of  decency 
and  right.  Is  he  quarrelsome,  or  in  the  habit  of  striking  the 
people,  or  has  he  made  himself  obnoxious  through  his  stin- 
giness, his  "great  men"  do  not  hesitate  to  come  to  him  and 
remonstrate.  Thus  a  decidedly  kindly  and  easy-going  type 
of  patriarchal  life  has  been  developed.  Mirth  and  joviality 
abundantly  characterize  the  public  in  the  regions. 

Bananas  constitute  the  staple  food  of  these  people.  Small 
grains  are  also  cultivated,  for  instance  millet.  Cattle  abound 
everywhere  and  constitute  the  chief  wealth  of  the  Konde 
man.  He  also  keeps  goats  and  swine  and  fowls.  Yet  meat 
seldom  appears  on  his  bill  of  fare.  Is  a  water-buffalo,  a 
wild  pig  or  an  elephant  slain,  it  follows  as  a  matter  of  course 
that  the  flesh  is  eaten ;  but  meat  is  not  regarded  as  an  es- 
sential article  of  diet.  Fish  on  the  other  hand  are  caught  in 
great  numbers.  But  a  vegetable  diet  is  observed  for  the 
most  part — peas,  beans,  and  above  all  bananas.  Maize, 
millet,  rice,  peas,  pumpkins,  ground-nuts,  and  sugar-cane 
are  cultivated,  according  as  the  climate  and  soil  permit. 

The  villages  make  a  pleasirg  impression.  If  culture  may 
be  defined  as  the  conquest  of  nature  and  its  subjugation  to 
the  service  of  man.  these  tribes  have  attained  a  consi  'erable 
degree  of  civilization,  as  compared  with  other  Africans. 
Often  the  villages  are  open,  and  one  may  walk  through 
banana  plantations  beside  the  houses  for  half  an  hour  or 
more.  Where  they  are  more  liable  to  be  exposed  to  attack 
on  the  other  hand  a  palisade  of  thorny  underbrush  almost 
renders  the  village  inaccessible.  As  a  rule  round,  the  houses 
have  high  doors  in  front  and  in  the  rear,  are  woven  of  wat- 
tled sticks  and  provided  with  roofs  of  thatch.  Special  at- 
tention is  paid  to  the  sheds  for  the  cattle.  Those  of  the 
chieftains  may  attain  a  length  of  between  one  hundred  and 
two  hundred  feet.  They  are  oblong  in  shape,  are  built  of 
wattle  and  have  straw  roofs  laid  on  a  foundation  of  bamboo. 
Down  the  middle  or  along  one  side  of  the  stall  are  posts  to 
which  the  cattle  are  bound  in  the  night.     A  herder  is  ex- 


PEOPLE  OF   NYASALAND  AND  THEIR    MODE  OF  LIFE.         33 

pected  as  a  rule  to  sleep  in  each  of  the  larger  sheds.  Daily 
the  cattle  are  driven  to  pasture  and  fodder,  banana  leaves, 
is  also  brought  for  them  to  the  space  in  front  of  the  shed. 
The  people  take  great  pride  in  their  cattle,  and  are  fond 
of  polishing  their  horns  and  also  place  bells  beneath  their 
necks — for  the  man  of  Nyasa  has  discovered  how  to  smelt 
iron  from  the  ore  and  work  in  metal.  Frequently  the  cattle 
sheds  are  well  smoked  out  '^n  order  to  rid  them  of  mosquitoes 
and  other  insect  pests. 

Beasts  of  burden  were  unknown  before  the  coming  of 
Europeans,  and  dcgs  were  very  few.  Even  at  the  present 
time  horses  and  mules  or  asses  are  rare.  The  ravages  of  the 
tsetse  fly  render  it  ciuestionable  if  the  horse  will  ever  abound 
here.  Owing  to  this  lack  of  beasts  of  burden  and  of  wheeled 
vehicles,  the  absence  of  roads  was  a  striking  feature  when 
the  missionaries  entered  the  land.  On  the  other  hand  the 
narrow  foot-paths  had  formed  a  characteristic  of  African 
intercommunication  apparently  for  ages.  These  stretch  from 
the  coast  of  the  Indian  Ocean  to  the  p^reat  lakes  and  north- 
ward to  the  Mediterranean.  Each  village  has  its  foot-path 
to  the  next  village,  each  clan  a  like  means  of  communica- 
tion with  the  next.  The  entire  land  is  covered  with  this 
network  of  paths,  the  meshes  of  which  become  closer  the 
more  densely  populated  the  neighborhood.  These  paths  are 
so  narrow,  that  two  persons  can  not  walk  abreast.  They 
have  been  trodden  by  the  use  of  centuries  till  they  resemble 
narrow  channels  for  water-courses.  All  sharp  stones  and 
whatever  might  injure  the  naked  foot  have  been  carefully 
removed.  In  this  respect  they  may  be  said  to  be  well-kept. 
Rut  otherwise  nothing  is  done.  It  occurs  to  no  one  to  re- 
move the  thorn-clad  branch  that  hangs  down  overhead  as 
an  obstruction.  Such  obstructions  the  lithe  negro  under- 
stands how  to  avoid.  If  a  tree  falls  across  the  way,  a  cir- 
cuit is  made  around  it.  Like  the  roads  of  the  ancient  Ro- 
mans, these  paths  usually  proceed  straight  forward.  Hills 
are  scaled.  Pains  are  not  taken  to  circumvent  wild  ravines 
or  muddy  swamps.  The  path  leads  straight  through.  If  it 
makes  a  curve,  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  once  on  a 


34  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

time  a  hindrance  lay  in  the  direct  way,  which  has  since  dis- 
appeared. Possibly  a  huge  tree  had  been  uprooted  by  a 
storm  and  blocked  the  path.  No  one  thought  to  remove  it. 
Every  one  went  round  it.  and  will  continue  to  make  the 
roundabout  way,  long  after  the  tree  has  succumbed  to  the 
ants,  has  crumbled  and  disappeared.  If  a  stream  or  river 
intervenes,  the  path  ceases  on  this  bank  and  commences 
again  directly  opposite.  Only  the  larger  streams,  that 
abound  in  crocodiles,  are  bridged  over  in  a  primitive  man- 
ner. A  liigh  tree  nearby  is  felled  or  a  tree  that  fell  of  itself 
and  lay  in  the  water  is  put  in  place.  And  so  a  connection 
is  established  between  the  two  banks.  A  few  tough  lianes 
are  then  twined  together  to  serve  as  a  balustrade.  And  once 
more  the  path  leads  straight  on. 

That  the  land  as  a  whole  is  not  more  densely  peopled,  is 
undoubtedly  to  be  ascribed  to  the  raids  of  the  Arab  slave- 
traders.  Alfred  J.  Swann,  who  was  in  the  service  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society  and  in  this  service  transported 
the  first  steel  boat  to  Lake  Tanganyika  in  1882,  in  his  "Fight- 
ing the  Slave-Hunters  in  Central  Africa,"  describes  how  he 
passed  through  the  region  between  Ujiji  and  the  northern 
end  of  Lake  Nyasa  in  1887  and  found  Kondeland  covered 
with  miles  and  miles  of  banana  groves.  The  Bakonde  ap- 
peared to  him  to  have  reached  a  degree  of  civilization  oth- 
erwise unknown  in  Central  Africa.  Village  followed  close 
on  village,  connected  by  well  kept  paths,  and  the  houses 
were  chaarcterized  by  cleanliness  and  neatness.  But  not 
long  after  this  the  Bakonde  fell  as  victims  of  a  terrible  raid, 
that  resulted  in  the  people  of  whole  villages  being  swept 
away  into  slavery. 

Before  the  various  European  governments  laid  hands  on 
their  spheres  of  influence  in  Africa,  the  Arabs  were  the 
curse  of  the  continent.  Coming  from  the  north  or  from 
the  east  coast  they  roved  in  every  direction,  and  wherever 
they  came  brought  death  and  destruction  among  the  un- 
suspecting Africans.  In  possession  of  powder  and  ball  they 
hunted  for  slaves  and  ivory  with  impunity  among  a  people 
that  knew  nothing  more  deadly  than  the  assegai  and  the 


PEOPLE  OF   NVASALAND  AND  THEIR    MODE  OF  LIFE.         35 

poisoned  arrow.  A  net-work  of  Arab  stations  covered  the 
land,  and  served  as  the  emporiums  for  this  horrid  traffic. 
Rich  Mohammedans  at  the  sea-coast  received  consignments 
of  the  two-fold  wares  and  saw  to  their  further  transporta- 
tion. With  well-equipped  forces  the  collectors  in  the  in- 
terior might  swoop  down  like  hawks  on  the  unsuspecting 
villagers,  and  reappear  only  after  the  decimated  region  had 
recovered  somewhat,  thanks  to  the  prolific  power  of  recu- 
peration characteristic  of  African  races.  Or  a  couple  of 
apparently  harmless  Arab  traders  might  settle  in  a  pros- 
perous village  in  the  distant  interior.  They  professed  friend- 
ship and  annoyed  none.  A  sufficient  reason  for  their  pres- 
ence appeared  to  be  furnished  by  their  harmless  and  useful 
barter.  They  cultivated  the  ground  and  grew  their  favorite 
vegetables  and  fruits  as  though  intending  to  remain  here 
forever.  Gradually  they  got  into  their  hands  all  the  ivory 
that  was  to  be  had  in  the  vicinity.  But  now,  when  their  sup- 
ply of  cotton  goods  and  glass  beads  was  exhausted,  and  a 
sufficient  treasure  in  ivory  lay  buried  in  the  ground  beneath 
their  huts,  they  threw  ofif  the  mask.  A  quarrel  was  picked, 
blows  followed,  and  then  the  superior  power  of  fire-arms 
made  itself  felt.  A  massacre  of  natives  followed.  Only 
those  were  spared  who  were  capable  of  transporting  the 
tusks  to  the  coast  or  who  as  girls  or  young  w'omen  would 
fetch  a  good  price  in  the  slave-market.  Now  the  huts  were 
set  on  fire,  the  village  reduced  to  ashes  and  the  dreadful 
march  to  the  coast  began.  For  every  one  native  who  reach- 
ed the  market  and  was  put  up  to  sale,  four  or  five  perished 
either  in  the  raid  or  during  that  awful  transportation  down 
to  the  sea.  From  the  shores  of  Tanganyika,  for  example,  it " 
meant  a  march  of  some  800  miles  under  excruciating  condi- 
tions. Swann  describes  his  first  meeting  with  such  a  cara- 
van in  terms  that  make  the  blood  boil.  The  Arabs  were  polite 
and  quite  open  in  their  speech,  made  no  secret  of  their 
methods  as  he  strolled  through  their  camp.  Each  one  of 
them  was  armed  with  a  gun,  a  knife  and  a  spear.  Though 
clad  in  clean  white  robes  of  cotton,  their  villany  was  stamp- 
ed on  their  countenances.     When  Swann  called  the  attention 


36  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

of  one  of  the  men  to  the  fact  that  many  of  their  slaves  were 
not  in  condition  to  carry  any  burden,  he  replied  with  a  smile, 
"They  have  no  choice.  They  must  either  press  on  or  die." 
Then  followed  this  conversation :  "Are  all  these  slaves  in- 
tended for  Zanzibar?"  "Most  of  them;  the  rest  will  remain 
on  the  coast."  "Have  you  lost  many  on  the  way?"  "Oh, 
yes ;  quite  a  lot  died  from  starvation."  "Did  any  escape  by 
breaking  away?"  "No  they  are  guarded  too  carefully;  only 
those  possessed  of  the  devil  try  to  escape.  But  they  do  not 
know  whither  to  flee  should  they  get  away."  "What  do  you 
do  with  those  that  fall  ill  and  can  not  proceed  ?"  "We  pierce 
them  through,"  was  the  cruel  reply;  "for,  if  we  did  not  do 
that,  others  would  sham  sickness  in  order  to  escape  carrying 
their  loads  further.  No !  we  do  not  leave  a  sjngle  one  alive 
that  falls  out  of  line.  They  all  know  our  custom."  "But  I 
see  women  there,  who  not  only  carry  a  little  child  on  their 
backs,  but  also  a  tusk  or  some  other  heavy  load  on  their 
head.  What  do  you  do  when  such  begin  to  grow  too  weary 
to  carry  both?  Who  carries  their  ivory  then?"  "They 
must  carry  it  for  we  can  not  leave  the  precious  ivory  behind. 
We  spear  the  child  and  in  that  way  make  the  load  lighter. 
First  comes  the  ivory  and  then  the  child."  Satanic  selfish- 
ness !  Oh,  the  awful  brutality  of  the  slave-traders,  who 
chained  their  victims  neck  to  neck  with  iron  rings  or  fasten- 
ed them  to  each  other  by  means  of  forked  sticks !  Hunger 
and  thirst  hsd  to  be  endured  under  the  tropical  sun.  Often 
the  poor  bodies  were  covered  with  weales  and  open  sores 
from  the  lashes  of  the  whip  of  rhinocerous  hide,  and  swarms 
of  flies,  that  trailed  after  the  caravan,  settled  on  the  fester- 
ing wounds  to  feast  on  the  blood  of  the  perishing. 

The  activity  of  the  Christian  powers  on  the  coast  and  in 
the  interior  of  Africa  has  at  least  suppressed  this  abominable 
hunting  after  human-beings,  even  if  slavery  has  not  yet  been 
completely  stamped  out  on  the  African  continent. 

That  it  could  not  at  once  be  done  away  with  by  mere  pro- 
clamation, may  be  well  understood.  If  for  no  other  reason, 
we  niight  look  for  a  struggle  in  lands  where  polygamy 
affords  a  cover  to  slavery.     Women  and  girls  brought  over 


PliOPLE  OF   NYASALAND  AND  TliKIK    MODK  OK   LIFK.         37 

from  the  Congo  State  have  been  compelled  under  all  manner 
of  threats  to  pass  themselves  oft"  as  the  wives  and  daughters 
of  the  slave-trader,  when  uncomfortable  questions  are  asked. 
And  under  this  pretext  it  has  doubtless  been  possible  for 
small  troops  of  slaves  to  be  transported  even  through  dis- 
tricts occupied  by  settlers  or  missionaries.  The  annual  report 
of  the  Universities'  Mission  for  1898,  for  example,  tells  how 
Mr.  Carson  of  Masasi  on  the  Rowuma  was  called  by  a 
school-boy  one  morning,  who  ran  to  his  house  and  reported 
that  a  woman  had  just  sent  him  to  the  missionary  with  the 
declaration  that  she  was  benig  carried  away  she  knew  not 
whither.  When  he  hurried  after  the  caravan,  its  leader  re- 
ceived him  quite  politely  and  was  willing  to  return  to  his 
house  in  order  to  explain  the  affair.  But  finally  he  had  to 
turn  over  to  the  missionary  the  woman  and  her  two  children. 
She  was  a  widow  and  a  free  woman.  But  because  she  had 
refused  to  marry  a  neighbor,  who  already  had  a  wife,  he 
had  revenged  himself  on  her  by  selling  her  into  slavery.  And 
all  this  happened  ten  minutes'  distance  from  a  mission  sta- 
tion. 

Polygamy  stood  at  least  in  former  times  in  close  connec- 
tion with  slavery.  And  in  consequence  of  polygamy  the 
female  sex  has  been  sadly  degraded  in  East  Africa.  It  still 
shows  its  influence  in  this  respect  in  the  lower  intellectual 
position  of  womanhood,  even  though  among  the  Konde  peo- 
ple woman  is  held  in  higher  esteem  than  in  some  parts  of 
Africa.  The  richer  a  maii,  the  larger  the  number  of  his 
wives.  In  fact  polygamy  is  strongly  entrenched  in  the  life 
of  the  people,  because  the  possession  of  a  numl)er  of  wives 
lends  dignity  to  a  man  and  calls  forth  influence,  and  since 
the  women  represent  a  working  force  it  serves  at  the  same 
time  as  a  sign  of  economic  prosperity.  This  usage  presents 
one  of  the  most  stubborn  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  advance 
of  Christianity.  Churches  of  all  confessions  are  at  one  in 
regarding  monogamy  as  the  form  of  marriage  contemplated 
in  the  New  Testament  and  as  affording  the  only  type  of 
marriage   which   provides  ideal  conditions  of   life-compan- 

4 


^8 


HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 


ionship,  and  in  recognizing   that  woman    in    heathen    lands 
requires  to  be  freed  from  the  unworthy   position    which    is 
expected  of  her  in  every  polygamous  alliance.     This  conflict 
with  polygamy  calls  for  patient  persistence,  for  the  uproot- 
ing of  fundamental  conceptions  inherited  by  a  race  for  cen- 
turies and  the  complete  reconstruction  of  the  family  organi- 
zation of  a  people  require  generations  of  unbroken  education. 
It  is  a  long  way   from  the  theoretical  acquiescence  in  the 
Christian  ideal  of  marriage  to  the  practical  recognition    of 
the  same  in  daily  life,  and  the  discomfort  connected  with  the 
relinquishment  of  the  apparent  material  advantages  of  poly- 
gamy   hides  itself    behind  the  insinuation    that    monogamy 
suits  only  among  the  whites.     Many  difticulties  arise  in  con- 
nection with  the  demand  that  as  a  condition  of  baptism  the 
convert  living  in  polygamy  should  put  away  all    except    his 
first  wife     This  measure,  meant  to  raise  womanhood,  may 
in  a  concrete  case  appear  rather  to  work    the    ruin    of    the 
individual  woman.     According  to  the  laws  and  customs  of 
her  people  the  second  wife  has  also  been  legally  married  to 
the  man,  is  equally  his  wife  with  the  first.     Now,  when  she 
is  put  away,  she  has  no  position  in  society  upon  which  to  fall 
back.   She  stands  isolated  and  in  an  abnormal  relationship  to 
her  own  family,  of  which  she  ceased  to  be  a  part  and  from 
which    she  was    separated  by  her  marriage.     She    and    her 
children  are  cut  loose  from  their  normal  position  in  the  clan. 
It  is  true  that  marriage  among  heathen  lacks  the  moral  con- 
cept of  Christian  marriage  and  is  rather  regarded  as  a  busi- 
ness alliance,  which  may  be  loosened,  like  any  other  business 
alliance;  nevertheless   many   painful  and  perplexing   conse- 
quences follow  during  the  initial  stages  of  the  Christianiza- 
tion  of  such  a  people,  when  monogamy  is  insisted  upon  on 
the  part  of  converts,  who  possessed  a  polygamous  establish- 
ment at  the  time  of  their  embracing  the  Christian  faith. 

However,  even  the  native  elders  of  the  Christian  congre- 
gations recognize  that  for  the  Christian  Church  a  compro- 
mise is  here  impossible.  The  Christian  congregations  that 
are  arising  in  the  land,  whose  members,  in  so  far  as  they 
were  formerly  polygamists  have  cut  loose  from  the  usage  of 


PEOl'LE  OF    XVAS.M.AM)   AND   TllKIU    MODI-:   OK    I, IKK.  39 

their  fathers,  are  beginning  tt)  jjresent  the  new  foundations 
upon  whieh  the  social  life  of  the  people  may  be  built,  and 
the  lot  of  women  elevated.  Certain  it  is  that  the  church  may 
with  right  here  look  for  the  practical  co-operation  of  the 
colonial  government  in  the  ado])tion  of  constructive  meas- 
ures whereby  the  preference  shall  be  given  to  the  monogam- 
ous relationship.  Quite  apart  from  regard  iov  the  demands 
of  Christian  faitli  and  practice,  it  is  very  api)arent  that  poly- 
gamy is  hostile  to  the  advancement  of  a  people  in  civilization 
and  culture.  As  an  institution  it  retains  woman  j^ractically 
in  the  position  of  a  slave,  since  a  man's  wives,  like  the  rest 
of  his  property,  fall  to  his  heirs.  Polygamy  removes  from 
the  polygamist  the  necessity  of  working  for  his  own  sup- 
port, and  in  this  manner  (k'j)rives  tlie  colony  of  labor.  More- 
over, careful  investigations  have  disclosed — contrary  to  what 
might  be  generally  exi)ected — that  it  is  as  an  institution  ac- 
countable for  the  comparatively  small  increase  in  population. 
(See  Seitz,  IFirfschaftlicJic  iind  socialc  l'crhaclf}iissc  dcr 
Eingcborncn    Kamcnins:    Kolonialc    Rnndschan    I(^oq,    6, 

529). 

Although  one  main  entrenchment  of  polygamy  is  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  women  represent  labor,  in  Xyasaland 
a  certain  line  of  demarkation  does  exi>t  between  the  tasks 
of  the  men  and  those  of  the  women.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
men  to  care  for  and  milk  tlie  cattle,  whilst  the  women  are 
expected  to  lir.d  straw  and  to  clean  out  the  stalls  each  morn- 
ing. The  men  prc])are  the  skins,  which  in  part  serve  the 
women  for  clothing.  l>ut  the  cloth  made  from  the  inner 
bark  of  certain  trees  is  manufactured  by  the  women.  Bas- 
ket-weaving is  work  for  men,  the  ]jotter's  handicraft  work 
for  women.  So,  too,  when  a  jjrimitive  hut  is  built,  the 
women  prepare  the  floor  of  hard  trodden  clay,  but  the  man 
is  exj:)ected  to  build  the  hut  itself. 

Much  of  the  field-work  is  done  by  the  sexes  together.  At 
home  the  woman  does  the  threshing  and  grinding  of  the 
grain. 


40  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

CHAPTER  VL 

MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    PEOPLE. 

Uniformity  of  usages  and  manners  is  not  to  be  expected 
among  tribes  whose  environment  and  conditions  of  existence 
vary  as  widely  as  is  the  case  in  the  region  north  of  Lake 
Nyasa.  Not  all  the  details  given  in  the  following  pages  can 
apply  to  all  the  various  sections  of  the  population.  But  cer- 
tain traits  and  characteristics  will  be  found  more  or  less 
common  to  all.  In  all  the  family,  and  not  the  individual,  con- 
stitutes the  unit  upon  which  conceptions  of  right  are  based. 
The  individualism  of  Europe  and  America  is  unknown.  And 
in  the  patriarchal  condition  in  which  the  East  Africans  were 
found  by  the  missionaries  in  common  with  other  pioneers 
from  Europe  the  chief  or  sultan  was  regarded  as  the  person- 
ification of  the  unwritten  law  ordained  by  custom.  He  is 
the  protector  of  the  traditional  usages  handed  down  from 
the  fathers.  His  duty  it  is  to  take  care  that  the  well-devel- 
oped conception  of  rights  shall  be  passed  on  to  posterity 
without  infringement. 

Children  belong  to  the  family  of  their  father,  though 
nam^d  after  their  mother.  They  are  well  cared  for  by  their 
parents  and  must  in  return  show  respect.  So  long  as  the 
children  are  small  they  call  their  father  by  that  title,  later  on 
by  other  names.  A  little  daughter  greets  her  father  on  her 
knees ;  his  return  greeting  involves  his  laying  his  hand  upon 
her  head.  The  elder  boys  live  together  in  long  oblong 
houses  at  the  end  of  the  village.  When  one  of  them  marries, 
he  builds  a  house  near  the  boys'  quarter,  and  in  this  manner 
the  village  extends  in  this  direction. 

Upon  the  head  of  the  family  rests  the  obligation  to  biiild 
a  house  for  his  wife  and  to  clear  a  field  for  her,  which  shall 
provide  her  establishment  with  food — for  each  wife  has  a 
home  of  her  own.  It  is  his  duty  to  provide  his  sons  with  a 
wife  each  and  his  daughters  with  a  husband.  Elder  mem- 
ters  of  the  family  have  no  rights  over  the  younger  members, 
but  are  under  obligation  to  aid  the  father  in  caring  for  them. 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    PEOPLE.  41 

Family  love  clearly  exists.  The  male  members  of  a  family 
partake  of  their  food  apart  from  the  female  members. 

The  marriage  contract  is  strictly  regulated  by  custom. 
Prohibited  degrees  of  relationship  place  a  bar  to  it.  Cousins 
who  are  the  children  of  two  brothers  or  of  two  sisters  call 
each  other  brother  and  sister,  and  neither  they  themselves 
nor  their  descendants  dare  marry,  so  long  as  this  relation- 
ship may  be  clearly  proven.  Temporary  unions,  poly- 
andry and  the  possession  of  wives  in'  common,  as  well  as 
tolerated  free  love,  are  alike  unkncnvn. 

Betrothal  appears  to  have  greater  significance  than  mar- 
riage ;  at  least  no  marriage  ceremony  as  such  exists,  whilst 
betrothal  is  attended  with  a  ceremony.  Has  a  bride  been 
selected — perhaps  a  young  girl — a  suitor  is  sent  to  her  par- 
ents with  presents.  l>ut  the  bridegroom  /;/  spc  dare  not  see 
his  bride,  or  at  any  rate  not  speak  with  her,  till  she  has 
grown  up.  Should  this  rule  be  transgressed,  he  must  pay  a 
goat  or  a  sheep  or  cow  to  his  future  father-in-law.  The 
groom  never  has  the  right  to  dissolve  the  engagement.  The 
bride  may.  provided  she  had  not  been  asked  to  consent  to 
the  prospective  union  because  too  young  at  the  time  of  the 
betrothal,  or  if  her  prospective  husband  is  not  acceptable  to 
her.  In  that  case  the  betrothal  gift  is  returned.  This,  how- 
ever, trans])ires  seldom.  The  ceremonv  of  betrothal  is  com- 
pleted by  the  famil}-  priest,  who  calls  on  the  ancestors  to 
bless  the  union. 

Previous  to  the  marriage  the  bride  hides  herself  for  one 
day  and  keeps  away  from  her  relatives  for  three  days.  On 
the  fourth  day  she  is  brought  by  her  husband  to  her  parents 
with  four  different  gifts,  which  must  possess  a  certain  value, 
fixed  by  custom,  and  quite  independent  of  the  beauty  or  sta- 
tion of  the  bride.  Three  other  jfifts  must  be  paid  in  the 
course  of  time,  valued  at  so  and  so  much,  and  the  young  hus- 
band must  work  for  his  mother-in-law  in  various  ways  be- 
fore he  is  legally  in  possession  of  his  wife.  Thus  a  man  may 
be  married,  and  yet  not  married,  for  a  considerable  period, 
even  for  years. 


42  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

Among  some  of  the  clans  marriage  follows  soon  after  the 
purchase  of  the  bride.  After  the  young  man  has  ascertained 
through  a  friend  that  the  woman  of  his  choice  is  inclined  to 
him,  he  makes  this  known  to*  the  chief  of  the  clan  and  then 
proceeds  to  her  parents  in  company  with  his  groomsman. 
The  parents  call  the  daughter  after  they  have  heard  his  re- 
quest. If  she  gives  her  consent,  the  groomsman  takes  a 
spear  and  hurls  it  with  main  force  into  the  earth.  The  girl 
draws  it  out,  gives  it  to  her  father  and  says :  "Plant  a  post  in 
the  ground,  that  you  may  bind  to  it  my  dowry" — viz.,  the 
cattle,  which  the  bridegroom  must  pay  the  parents  as  the 
price  for  her.  Their  number  is  regulated  by  her  standing. 
For  the  daughter  of  a  chief  as  many  as  ten  cattle  may  be 
paid.  Two  clays  later  the  groomsman  brings  a  present,  a 
hoe  or  a  fowl.  Now  the  bride  is  decorated  in  state,  her  chief 
ornament  consisting  in  the  powdering  of  her  hair  with  red 
powder  prepared  from  a  certain  root.  Accompanied  by  her 
friends  she  proceeds  to  her  intended's  home,  to  whom, 
however,  she  does  not  speak  and  with  whom  she  does  not  eat 
until  he  has  made  her  a  present,  generally  some  ornament. 
He  also  expects  from  her  some  jiresent  in  return. 

It  is  very  little  that  such  a  bride  Ijrings  her  husband.  His 
presents  belong  not  to  her  but  to  her  family  on  the  father's 
side.  She  brings  with  her  two  cooking  pots,  a  cooking  spoon, 
and  a  drinking  vessel  in  the  form  of  a  pointed  little  basket. 
The  location  of  the  new  home  is  settled  by  mutual  agree- 
ment. But  the  wife  has  no  property  rights.  Possession  of 
goods  by  man  and  woman  in  common  is  unknown.  Should 
she  leave  her  husband,  any  chiPlren  that  she  may  have  be- 
long to  their  father.  Her  field,  her  provision-house  and  her 
instruments  for  work  are  all  that  a  woman  can  call  her  own. 
Work  in  abundance  awaits  her.  She  must  pound  or  bruise 
the  JViilcci — a  variety  of  grain — into  flour,  and  then  boil  it 
as  a  porridge  for  her  husband  and  children.  She  must  climb 
the  hills  or  creep  deep  down  into  the  ravines  to  find  fuel  for 
household  use.  She  must  handle  the  hoe  on  the  field — and 
sometimes  the  field-work  falls  to  her  lot  alone.  She  must 
sow    and    cultivate  the  ]]''nlczi  and  maize  and  beans.     \nd 


MANNERS    AND    CfSTOMS    OF    THE    I'ECJPl.E.  43 

the  man  has  it  in  his  power  to  divorce  her  Hghtly,  if  not 
satisfied  with  her  capacity.  If  her  cooking  on  the  very  first 
occasion  does  not  please  him,  he  says  in  matter  of  fact  tone, 
"The  food  is  green."  On  the  second  and  third  days  he  re- 
peats this  expression.  If  no  change  for  the  better  follows, 
on  the  fourth  day  he  sends  her  witli  the  groomsman  back  to 
her  parents,  with  the  words.  "Go  back  to  your  mother  and 
first  of  all  learn  how  to  cook."  If  this  transpires  the  father- 
in-law  must  pay  back  a  cow  from  the  ])urchase  price  of  the 
girl.  When  she  thinks  that  her  skill  in  cookery  has  been 
perfected,  she  returns  to  her  husband.  But  if  he  is  still  dis- 
contented, the  marriage  is  dissolved  and  the  father  must 
return  her  betrothal  gifts. 

P>ut  it  sometimes  also  happens,  that  a  woman  induces  an- 
other man  to  elope  with  her.  In  that  case  it  is  the  duty  of 
her  relatives  to  bring  her  back  to  her  husband.  Do  they  not 
succeed  in  this,  they  must  return  his  cattle  to  him.  llerein 
lies  the  root  of  many  a  feud. 

A  widow  remains  a  member  of  the  family  of  her  deceased 
husband,  and  generally  does  so  willingly.  But  she  has  com- 
plete liberty  to  marry  another  husband  within  the  limits  of 
the  family,  even  if  he  is  but  a  distant  relative.  In  that  case 
the  children  by  her  first  husband  belong  to  the  whole  family. 
However,  she  cannot  leave  her  former  home  till  after  the 
feast  for  the  dead,  from  two  to  four  months  after  the  death 
of  her  former  husband.  When  the  husband  of  her  choice 
takes  her  to  his  home,  her  position  is  determined  by  the  age 
of  her  former  marriage  in  comparison  to  that  of  his  mar- 
riage with  his  other  wives.  It  may  even  happen  that  thus 
she  obtains  the  position  of  chief  wife. 

Has  a  man  a  number  of  wives,  the  establishment  of  each 
is  usually  within  convenient  reach  of  his  house.  If  one  of 
his  wives  evinces  a  quarrelsome  disposition,  he  will  build  her 
a  hut  at  a  distance.  The  first  married  is  recognized  as  the 
principal  wife,  and  can  lose  her  position  only  as  just  indicat- 
ed. I  ler  house  stands  towards  the  east  in  its  relation  to  the 
houses  of  the  other  women,  ller  field  must  l)e  first  put  in 
order,  and  the  other  wives  must  each  of  them  aid  her  in  cul- 


44  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

tivating  it,  giving  at  least  one  day's  labor.  She  is  especially 
honored  in  the  family.  Her  eldest  son  inherits  the  position 
of  family  priest  on  the  death  of  the  father.  Neither  she  nor 
any  other  of  the  wives  receives  the  name  of  her  husband, 
but  rather  the  name  of  one  of  her  children. 

Before  cotton  goods  were  introduced  by  traders  the 
clothing  of  the  women  consisted  of  an  apron  made  out 
of  the  inner  bark  of  a  tree,  at  the  ends  of  which  little 
bobbins  of  iron  were  hung.  Necklaces  of  beads  were 
much  in  vogue  and  also  bead-work  ornaments  about  the 
loins.  Girls  often  contented  themselves  with  a  strip  of 
bark-cloth  worn  like  a  sort  of  train.  Women  wear  their 
hair  quite  short.  In  the  case  of  both  sexes  the  breast 
and  face  are  often  tattooed  with- signs  indicative  of  their 
family  or  clan.  The  front  teeth  are  filed  to  a  point.  Thick 
rings  of  brass  are  worn  as  bracelets  and  anklets.  And  a 
number  of  additional  thin  rings  of  copper  may  also  adorn 
the  arms  or  ankles.  Earrings  are  highly  prized  by  the 
women.  In  earliest  childhood  the  ear  is  pierced  and  a  small 
object  inserted.  Gradually  the  opening  is  made  larger  and 
larger.  The  objects  worn  as  an  ornament  of  the  ear  may 
finally  have  a  diameter  of  ten  centimeters.  Amulets  fastened 
to  the  neck  or  arm  are  worn  by  both  sexes.  Mothers  invar- 
iably carry  the  youngest  child  and  often  do  not  wean  it  till 
its  second  year.  When  a  girl  has  reached  a  certain  age.  a 
band  of  beads  is  given  her  to  wear  around  the  body.  Boys 
go  stark  naked  for  years.  At  length  a  narrow  apron  of  bark- 
cloth  or  the  skin  of  a  monkey  serves  as  a  loin-cloth.  In  the 
case  of  the  son  of  a  chief  his  attainment  of  his  majority  is 
celebrate:!  with  a  feast.  Most  of  his  boyhood's  companions 
then  associate  themselves  with  him.  The  houses  in  which 
they  lived  as  lads  are  torn  down  and  the  entire  company 
erects  new  habitations  around  the  spot  chosen  by  the  young 
chief  as  his  home.  At  first  these  may  be  the  flimsiest  huts 
of  bamboo  ^nd  straw.  But  gradually  more  permanent  dwell- 
ings are  erected. 

Men  of  consequence  make  it  a  point  to  clothe  themselves 
in  some  state.     They  have  their  Balai'ala,  a  large  white  piece 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    PEOPLE.  45 

of  muslin,  and  understand  how  to  fold  it  about  them  and 
stalk,  abroad  with  as  much  dignity  as  an  old  Roman  in  his 
tcga.  jackets  have  been  introduced  by  the  whites  and  are 
worn  in  and  about  the  mission  stations.  Head-covering  was 
unknown  before  the  coming  of  the  strangers.  Through 
them  the  red  fez  has  now  come  to  be  known.  Seldom  do 
the  men  shave  the  head  entirely.  A  bunch  of  hair  on  the 
crown  of  the  head  or  some  other  place  constitutes  its  chief 
ornament. 

A  certain  artistic  sense  is  latent  in  the  people.  On  their 
walking-sticks  and  tobacco  pipes  they  are  fond  of  burning 
in  various  devices.  A  very  creditable  skill  in  basket-making 
and  the  weaving  of  mats  had  been  developed  prior  to  their 
coming  in  contact  with  European  civilization.  Especially 
among  the  liasafwa  skilled  weavers  wrought  at  their  trade 
and  understood  how  to  weave  cloth  in  two  colors.  The  cot- 
ton from  which  they  made  their  yarn  they  grew  them- 
selves. Iron  they  had  already  learnt  to  smelt  from  the  ore, 
and  from  it  manufactured  hoes,  axes,  spears,  bells  and  other 
articles. 

The  morning  greeting  in  Nyasaland  is  equivalent  to  a 
question  wliether  one  has  slept  well,  and  the  evening  greet- 
ing has  the  significance  of.  "May  you  sleep  well."  The  giv- 
ing of  the  right  hand  appears  to  have  been  unknown  prior  to 
the  coming  of  the  Europeans.  ( )n  the  other  hanrl  the  cere- 
monial to  be  observed  on  meeting  one  who  had  not  been  seen 
for  some  time  appears  to  have  Ijeen  very  complicated.  The 
one  coming  lies  on  his  l)ack  with  liis  head  towards  the  other 
and  cla]xs  his  hands  vigorously.  Then  he  rises  and,  sinking 
on  his  knees,  lets  his  head  hang  a  little  to  one  side  and  once 
more  clajis  his  hands.  The  kiss  is  unknown  and  no  word 
for  it  exists  in  the  native  dialects. 

When  a  child  dies  the  women  take  turns  to  hold  it  in  their 
arms.  They  lament  it.  shave  the  body,  wa^h  and  anoint  it 
and  powder  the  head  with  red  pepper.  Then  the  body  is 
wound  in  stutT  of  bark  or  cotton  and  finally  enveloped  in 
matting.  The  relatives  hold  it  in  their  arms  till  all  prepara-i 
tions  are  made  for  the  burial.     Men  and  women  smear  white 


46  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

earth  on  their  cheeks  and  foreheads  in  tokens  of  mourning. 
Laments  are  sung.  A  suitable  spot  is  selected  near  the  house 
and  a  deep  grave  dug.  Twelve  hours  after  death  the  body 
is  lowered  into  the  grave  in  a  sitting  position.  It  is  placed 
on  matting  and  is  covered  with  matting.  Upon  the  grave, 
after  it  has  been  filled  in,  the  men,  attired  as,  for  war,  dance 
a  death-dance,  by  which  means  at  the  same  time  the  earth 
is  trodden  down  and  made  safe  against  goulish  beasts  of 
prey.  Meanwhile  the  women  wail  forth  laments.  Then 
cattle  are  slaughtered,  and  the  mourners  wash  themselves 
and  partake  of  a  burial  feast.  The  relatives  remain  and 
sleep  at  the  home  of  the  sorrowing  parents  for  ten  days. 

If  a  woman  dies  the  same  ceremonies  are  observed,  except 
that  only  women  have  to  do  with  the  corpse  and  alone  bury 
it.  Only  after  the  grave  has  been  filled  in  dare  the  men 
appear. 

The  death  of  a  man  is  followed  by  much  the  same  proce- 
dure as  that  after  the  death  of  a  child.  His  cattle  are,  how- 
ever, slaughtered,  that  their  spirits  may  follow  his  spirit  into 
the  under-world.  Sometimes  the  women  refuse  to  partake 
of  the  funeral  feast,  and  in  that  case  an  animal  is  slaughtered 
for  them  in  the  night.  All  the  immediate  relatives  sleep  for 
five  months  in  the  huts  of  mourning  and  carefully  observe 
signs  of  mourning,  neither  wash  nor  anoint  themselves,  let 
their  hair  grew  and  sweep  neither  the  house  nor  the  court- 
yard. Only  after  the  five  months  is  it  permissable  to  say : 
"Let  us  clear  up,  we  have  forgotten  the  dead."  Then  the 
neighbors  bring  them  grain  for  brewing  beer,  which  is  man- 
ufactured at  once,  and  animals  are  killed.  A  brief  lament  is 
sung  and  then  follows  a  feast  of  merriment.  Little  fires  are 
kindled  at  which  bananas  are  roasted.  When  cooked  they 
are  stuck  in  the  ground  and  decorated  with  roasted  pumpkin 
seeds. 

Now  the  matter  of  the  inheritance  is  spoken  of.  The  eld- 
est brother  inherits  the  whole  estate,  if  a  younger  brother 
has  died.  Has  the  eldest  brother  died,  the  next  brother  in 
age  is  his  heir.  Among  some  tribes,  however,  this  rule  does 
not  obtain,  but  the  property,  in  particular  the  cattle,  descends 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    TlIK    PEOPLE.  47 

to  the  one  of  the  family  who  commands  most  respect,  it  be- 
ing a  matter  of  indifference  whether  he  is  a  brother  or  a  son 
of  the  dead.  Yet  this  property  is  not  his  exckisive  posses- 
sion, lie  must  give  a  portion  to  each  male  member  of  the 
family  and  also  to  all  the  near  relatives  of  the  dead.  No 
difference  is  made  in  this  connection  between  the  children  of 
the  various  wives. 

The  man  recognized  as  the  successor  of  the  deceased  head 
of  the  family  is  seized  by  the  men  present  and  thrust  into  the 
former  home  together  with  the  wives  of  the  dead  man.  When 
they  have  fastened  the  door  upon  the  whole  company,  the 
men  outside  exhort  him  to  take  good  care  of  the  parents,  the 
wives  and  the  children  of  the  former  head  of  the  family.  He 
is  now  let  out  and  from  this  time  on  is  in  the  place  of  the 
lost  father.     The  orphaned  children  call  him  by  this  name. 

Special  ceremonies  accomjiany  tlic  death  of  a  "sultan,"  or 
chief,  which  is,  if  possible,  kept  secret.  The  burial  takes  place 
after  sunset.  The  slaves  of  the  chief  dig  the  grave  accord- 
ing to  directions  given  them  by  the  eldest  of  his  former  coun- 
selors, who  outlines"  its  size  with  a  staff.  Though  two  yards 
deep,  it  has  to  be  dug  out  with  no  better  implements  than 
hces.  This  same  chief  counselor  conducts  the  burial  cere- 
monies. The  women  have  meanwliile  testified  to  their  grief 
by  beating  their  backs  mutually  with  their  hands  and  with 
sticks.  At  sunset  the  corpse  of  the  chief  is  lowered  into  the 
grave,  fastened  in  a  sitting  position  to  the  stool  on  which  he 
sat  during  his  life-time  while  pronouncing  judgment. 
Throughout  the  entire  ceremcmy  the  spirit-trumpet,  Mbutu, 
is  blown  in  order  to  incline  the  spirits  to  be  favorable.  This 
takes  the  place  of  the  lament  of  the  women,  which  is  sung 
in  other  cases :  "Thou  goest  to  the  dead  ;  thou  goest  with 
head  bent  with  grief;  thou  hast  a  hoe;  cultivate  thy  field  in 
the  realm  of  shades."  This  song  is  not  sung,  because  it  is 
supposed  that  a  chief  does  not  "die."  Tt  is  considered  an 
insult  when  one  speaks  of  a  "dead"  chief.  Until  the  choice 
of  a  new  chief,  it  is  customary  to  speak  of  the  former  only 
as  of  one  "whose  coronet  has  been  broken."  He  who  should 
dare  to  speak  of  the  chief  as  "dead"  would  be  turned  out  of 


48  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

the  village.  Indeed,  even  in  the  case  of  ordinary  mortals, 
the  people  do  not  like  to  use  the  term  "dead."  "He  has  gone 
to  the  land  of  the  shades,"  or  "he  is  lost  and  we  can  not  find 
him,"  are  preferable  euphemisms.  After  the  choice  of  the 
new  "sultan,"  it  is  customary  to  speak  of  his  predecessor  as 
one  "over  whom  the  heavens  have  closed."  He  rules  there 
and  thence  he  blesses  the  fields  of  his  people — has  become 
practically  a  god.  For  this  reason  a  stool  is  placed  on  his 
grave,  as  a  token  that  he  continues  to  rule.  At  burial  two 
hoes  are  placed  at  the  feet  of  the  chief,  to  serve  as  shoes,  for 
a  chief  dare  not  enter  the  realm  of  the  shades  bare-footed. 
The  skin  of  a  male  black  sheep  is  drawn  over  his  head,  as  a 
head-covering,  and  his  body  is  wrapped  in  the  skin  of  a  black 
steer,  which  is  hung  about  the  neck,  so  that  it  falls  loosely 
about  the  body.  This  service  is  rendered  only  by  his  "great 
men."  In  his  right  hand  as  a  stafi^  for  his  journey  is  placed 
the  staff  with  which  his  grave  was  marked  out.  In  the  black 
skins  he  will  be  welcomed  by  the  spirits  in  the  realm  of  the 
shades  for  only  a  chief  is  buried  in  skins.  Ordinary  men  are 
wrapped  in  matting.  Moreover  the  blasts  of  the  spirit-horn 
have  announced  to  the  spirits  his  expected  arrival.  Prior  to 
the  establishment  of  the  German  rule  in  the  present  colony 
it  was  customary  to  strangle  from  five  to  ten  male  and 
female  slaves  and  lay  them  in  the  king's  grave.  It  would 
have  been  a  disgrace  for  a  chief  to  proceed  to  the  realm  of 
shades  unaccompanied  by  attendants.  His  face  is  placed 
towards  the  east.  Whilst  the  grave  is  being  filled  in,  two 
men  hold  the  body,  lest  it  be  disturbed  out  of  the  proper  pos- 
ition. Since  the  whole  ceremony  may  last  a  number  of 
hours,  as  the  darkness  increases,  the  scene  is  lit  up  by  torches 
of  straw\ 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  dead  chief's  successor  to  protect  the 
grave  against  damage  by  the  heavy  rains  and  by  the  tramp- 
ling of  cattle.  Sometimes  he  causes  a  hut  to  be  built  over  it, 
which  serves  as  an  idol  house. 

But  to  return  from  usages  connected  with  death  to  those 
that  have  to  do  with  the  business  life — assertions  made  in 
connection    with    a    hearing  of  a  case    by  a  chief    may    be 


FOUR  CHIEFTAINS. 


THE   RELIGION    AND    MORALS   OF   THE    PEOPLE.  49 

strengthenetl  by  an  oath.  An  accused  may  seek  to  clear  him- 
self for  example  by  the  declaration:  "I  am  innocent;  other- 
wise may  I  at  once  wander  into  the  realm  of  the  dead." 
After  such  an  assertion,  the  investigation  ceases.  The  chief 
or  his  councillors,  acting  as  judges,  declare:  "He  has  sworn 
by  the  realm  of  the  shades."  It  is  with  greatest  hesitation, 
however,  that  recourse  is  had  to  this  form  of  oath,  for  which 
the  people  feel  an  awe.  On  the  other  hand  recourse  is  had 
very  speedily  and  readily  to  the  decision  by  ordeal.  "Muafi" 
drinking  constitutes  a  form  of  ordeal  very  widely  spread 
throughout  tropical  Africa.  The  Muafi  tree  furnishes  a 
poison  so  deadly  that  bees  die  when  they  sip  the  nectar  of  its 
blossoms.  Among  the  people  living  north  of  Lake  Nyasa  it 
is  the  duty  of  the  medicine-man,  whose  office  confers  on  him 
the  right  to  prepare  the  drink  for  the  ordeal,  to  see  to  it  that 
his  dose  shall  not  be  fatal.  To  this  end  he  repeatedly  steeps 
the  bark,  from  which  he  extracts  the  active  agent,  in  water, 
that  is  frequent!}'  changed,  until  the  proper  dilution  has  been 
reached. 

When  two  opponents  have  received  permission  to  settle 
their  case  by  this  form  of  ordeal,  they  must  prepare  them- 
selves for  it  by  fasting.  On  the  decisive  morning  they  par- 
take only  of  a  small  ])()rtion  of  l)roth  made  from  bananas,  re- 
move all  their  ornaments  and  clothing  and  cover  their  naked- 
ness only  with  banana  leaves.  Then  they  drink  the  Muafi 
draft  prepared  and  handed  to  them  bv  the  medicine  man,  to- 
gether with  as  much  water  as  they  can  swallow  down. 
Thereupon  they  are  placed  face  to  face  with  each  other,  and 
dare  not  move  a  muscle.  Not  even  is  it  allowed  to  brush 
away  the  flies  that  settle  on  face  and  body.  At  length  one 
of  them  is  compelled  to  vomit.  The  jubilant  cries  of  his 
friends  announce  that  he  is  the  victor  in  the  strife.  For  thus 
his  innocence  has  been  demonstrated.  The  opponent  is 
driven  forth  with  abuse  and  in  disgrace.  After  he  has  also 
felt  the  effects  of  the  poison,  they  are  both  taken  in  care  of 
their  friends,  and  the  defeated  must  pay  the  fine  assessed  in 
so  many  cattle  to  fit  the  case,  and  with  this  payment  the  mat- 
ter is  adjusted. 


50  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

A  chief  is  not  permitted  to  drink  Muafi,  but  procures  a 
substitute,  when  he  should  submit  to  this  ordeal. 

Implicit  faith  was  reposed  in  this  usage  till  the  coming  of 
the  whites.  Yet  what  an  opportunity  for  an  unscrupulous 
medicine  man  to  adjust  the  mixture  so  as  to  suit  his  ends! 


THE   RELIGION    AND    MORALS   OF   THE    PEOPLE.  51 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    RELIGION    AND    MORALS   OF   THE    PEOPLE. 

To  obtain  a  thorough  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  world 
of  thought  in  which  a  heathen  race  lives,  is  ever  a  difficult 
task.  This  holds  good  in  East  Africa.  As  little  as  is  a 
stranger  of  Caucasian  stock  ready  to  reveal  to  the  first  comer 
his  inmost  soul,  so  little  is  the  Bantu.  Rather  is  he  pos- 
sessed of  an  instinctive  aversion  to  everything  strange,  in- 
cluding the  white  man.  to  whom  he  looks  up  with  a  shyness 
mixed  with  fear.  For  the  intellectual  superiority  of  the 
white  man  forces  this  attitude  upon  the  East  African.  Whilst 
this  may  be  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  others,  in  the  case 
of  the  missionary  it  involves  increased  difficulties.  Since 
it  is  his  task  to  guide  the  people  to  a  new,  higher  world  of 
thought  and  morals,  he  must  first  penetrate  their  intel- 
lectual conceptions,  accustom  himself  to  their  mental  atti- 
tudes and  intellectual  habits,  and  learn  with  accuracy  the 
significance  of  the  usages  and  customs  of  the  tribes  to  whom 
he  ministers.  But  he  does  not  as  a  matter  of  course  meet 
with  intelligent  and  direct  assistance  in  his  study  of  their 
mythology  and  ceremonial  usages.  After  conversion  the 
native  Christians  are  apt  to  shrink  from  rehearsing  the  re- 
ligious ideas  and  describing  the  usages  of  their  heathen  days 
both  from  a  sense  of  shame  and  from  an  instinctive  fear — 
for  it  is  by  no  means  always  a  matter  of  indilTerence  to  them 
to  be  too  vividly  reminded  of  the  past,  with  which  they  have 
broken,  an  element  of  temptation  inhering  not  infrequently 
in  such  a  reminiscence.  Before  conversion,  an  innate  sense 
of  the  inevitable  conflict  between  the  religion  of  the  white 
benefactor  and  that  of  their  race  prevents  open  disclosures, 
that  in  the  light  of  this  innate  antagonism  might  well  be  re- 
garded as  unfaithfulness  to  their  creed  and  above  all  as  dis- 
loyalty to  their  ancestors.  Quite  apart,  however,  from  the 
reluctance  to  surrender  the  secrets  of  an  ancestral  religion. 
It  may  be  questioned,  whether  the  untaught  son  of  the  wil- 
derness is  really  capable  of  coherently  imparting  a  system- 
atic knowledge  of  his  religion  to  the  teacher  of  the  new  re- 


52  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

ligion.  His  whole  mode  of  thought  lacks  consistent  coher- 
ence, a  well  wrought  formal  creed  and  a  philosophy  of  his 
faith  are  to  him  absolutely  unknown  entities.  Years  must 
therefore  pass  before  a  pioneer  missionary  is  in  a  position 
to  report  with  completeness  and  positiveness  with  regard 
to  the  inner  life  of  a  primitive  race.  He  can  at  first  only 
pursue  a  course  similar  to  the  paleontologist,  who  from  the 
scanty  and  often  paltry  remnants,  fossil  bones  or  what  not, 
dug  out  of  carboniferous  strata,  seeks  to  construct  a  draw- 
ing or  a  model  of  some  huge  monster  of  a  bygone  age.  Not 
until  he  has  fully  made  himself  at  home  in  the  language  of 
the  people  and  is  able  even  to  penetrate  into  the  etymology 
of  words  that  are  tending  to  become  obsolete  can  the  student 
of  the  religion  of  a  primitive  people  put  together  here  some 
fragments  of  conversation  and  there  inferences  from  cere- 
monial usage  that  serve  as  guides  for  correct  inquiry.  "Long 
and  patient  investigation,  in  connection  with  which  apparent 
trifles  acquire  importance,  is  requisite.  He  must  shun  being 
influenced  by  a  priori  subjective  ideas  of  his  own  whilst  sort- 
ing the  materials  discovered.  And  even  after  he  has  for 
years  made  a  specialty  of  the  mythology  and  cultus  of  the 
people,  and  has  articulated  all  the  fragments  of  tradition 
gleaned  from  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  even  the  best 
application  of  the  principles  of  comparative  study  of  non- 
Christian  faiths  can  not  guarantee  that  the  results  of  his  re- 
search will  not  remain  defective.  With  still  greater  hesita- 
tion must  therefore  one  who  is  in  his  turn  dependent  on 
disconnected  sections  of  missionary  reports  view  the  con- 
clusions reached  by  himself  in  the  study  thousands  of  miles 
away.  Nevertheless  the  following  may  be  presented  as  at 
least  the  fruit  of  a  conscientious  attempt  to  gather  together 
into  a  whole  various  items  thus  far  communicated  from 
the  field  in  regard  to  this  important  theme,  important  at 
least  from  the  missionary  standpoint. 

Names  for  God  are  met  with  everywhere  and  are  in  daily 
use  in  German  East  Africa  and  in  particular  in  Nyasaland. 
For  instance  the  Konde  people  call  Him  either  Kiara,  "the 
Good"  or  "the  Heaven,"  Mbamba.      Among   the    Unyam- 


T?IE   RELIGION    AND    MORALS   OF   THE    PEOPLE.  53 

wesi  are  met  the  names  Liiiva,  equivalent  to  "the  Sun"  or 
Lh'dcio,  "the  Universe,"  or  Likuvc,  "the  Existence,"  and 
Katiinda,  "the  Creator."  But  these  words  have  really  lost 
their  essential  significance.  Should  one  ask,  "Who  is  Kiara?" 
the  answer  will  be  given,  half  questioningly.  possibly  half 
indignantly,  or  with  an  excuse,  "How  are  we  to  know  that?" 
Uncertainty  and  ignorance  are  indeed  characteristic  of 
heathenism  everywhere. 

So  far  as  Kiara  is  concerned  there  is  little  need  to  know 
much  about  him.  He  is  so  good  and  only  good,  bestowing 
all  manner  of  blessings  incessantly — cattle,  fruits  of  the 
field,  etc. — that  one  need  have  no  concern  for  him.  He  will 
bless  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  state  of  affairs  is  otherwise  with  the  evil  spirit,  Mhasi, 
or  as  he  is  sometimes  known  through  the  conceptions  that 
have  filtered  through  from  the  Arabs.  Satan.  He  is  the 
chief  of  the  evil  spirits.  His  craft  and  malicious  longing  to 
injure  men  must  be  turned  aside  by  countless  offerings  and 
gifts.  In  short  he  must  be  bribed.  Certain  men  profess  to 
be  his  special  emissaries,  almost  incorporations  of  his  spirit. 
Soon  after  the  missionaries  of  the  Berlin  Society  had  set- 
tled in  Wanp^emannshoh  they  had  to  come  to.  conclusions 
with  this  Mbasi  cult.  Near  their  station  lived  a  herdsman, 
Muamafurgubo  by  name,  who  gave  himself  out  to  be  a 
servant  of  Mbasi.  His  grewsome  personal  appearance — 
lanky,  lean  body,  pale  face,  hollow  cheeks,  rolling  eyes,  etc.. 
— confirmed  the  people  in  their  belief  in  his  pretensions.  All 
sorts  of  uncanny  things  that  transpired  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  hut  strengthened  the  general  fear  of  his  pretended  pow- 
ers. Whatever  he  demantled,  the  duped  tribesmen  surren- 
dered to  him.  He  claimed  to  have  induced  Mbasi  to  send 
the  cattle  plague,  when  it  broke  out  after  the  refusal  of  the 
missionaries  to  pay  tribute  to  him.  When  the  friendly  chief 
Muakaturgira  fell  ill.  the  sorcerer  boasted  that  he  had  again 
induced  Mbasi  to  exert  his  power.  Net  until  tlie  mission- 
aries took  the  chief  to  their  station  and  nursed  him  back 


54  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

to  health,  was  the  ban  broken  under  which  the  whole  coun- 
tryside had  been  living. 

Practically  the  worship  of  the  people,  in  so  far  as  wor- 
ship may  be  said  to  exist,  is  confined  to  reverence  for  an- 
cestors. They  are  regarded  as  bestowers  of  fertility  and  of 
fortune,  or  as  the  bringers  of  misfortune,  when  angered. 
Hence  offerings  are  made  to  them. 

Their  religious  philosophy,  if  this  term  may  be  used 
where  nothing  is  thought  out  in  syllogisms  but  rather  ac- 
cepted in  the  blind  following  of  tradition,  consists  in  that 
animism,  which  is  now  recognized  to  lie  at  the  foundation 
of  the  religious  usages  of  most  of  the  uncultured  races.  The 
anima  in  this  connection  is  not  the  personal  individual  soul, 
but  the  life-power  inherent  in  and  sustaining  every  tangible 
object,  the  fundamental  essence  that  imparts  to  all  things 
existence.  It  is  the  study  and  effort  of  a  man  to  receive  and 
strengthen  his  life-power  and  to  avoid  everything  that  would 
weaken  it.  Meanwhile  he  lives  in  constant  fear  that  through 
all  sorts  of  dark  influences,  the  life-power  in  him  may  lan- 
guish ;  for  him  the  unknown  and  unexplained  is  ever  the 
dreadful  and  dangerous,  for  it  may  adversely  influence  his 
life-power — and  nature  is  full  of  occult  forces  that  make 
for  or  against  this  life-force. 

The  medicine-man  or  magician  is  supposed  to  understand 
how  to  deal  with  these  secret  powers  of  nature.  Of  these 
sorcerers  there  are  two  sorts,  the  good,  essentially  the  doc- 
tors, and  the  bad,  the  sorcerers ;  the  latter,  for  the  most  part 
not  recognized  as  such  by  their  -fellow-men,  have  the  power 
to  change  themselves  into  beasts  of  prey,  and  act  under  the 
influence  of  the  evil  spirits.  Protection  against  them  con- 
sists in  amulets,  conjurations  and  medicines.  It  is  the  func- 
tion of  the  sorcerer  to  dissect  the  dead,  when  these  are  sup- 
posed to  have  met  their  fate  through  poison  or  magic,  in 
order  by  the  dissection  to  discover  the  guilty.  When  found, 
the  latter  is  punished  by  death. 

In  every  way  characteristic  of  the  medicinal  usages  of 
the  people  and  of  their  reticence  over  against  Europeans  is 
the   following  episode,   reported  by  Zeeb  towards  the  end 


THE  REI.IGION  AND  MORALS  OK  THE   PEOPLE.  55 

of  the  year  1910:  "On  the  way  to  Rungvve  I  found  a  re- 
markable sample  of  'medicine'  by  means  of  which  the  'doc- 
tors' proceed  to  cure  epilepsy.  Soon  after  crossing  the 
mountain  stream  Luswiswi  we  reached  a  place  where  an- 
other path  intersected  ours.  Here  at  the  center  of  the  in- 
tersection of  the  two  paths  I  found  an  old  pot  with  an 
opening  about  a  centimeter  in  diameter,  buried  in  the  way. 
At  first  I  supposed  that  this  earthenware  pot  sheltered  a 
colony  of  industrious  bees,  for  here  in  the  mountains  it  often 
happens  that  bees  live  in  the  ground  and  carry  their  honey 
and  wax  to  some  such  hole.  But  I  heard  and  saw  none  of 
these  busy  insects.  On  the  other  hand  large  black  ants  ran 
in  and  out  incessantly.  Then  I  made  inquiry  of  my  porters, 
what  this  pot  mip^ht  be  and  what  might  be  the  reason  why 
it  had  been  buried  here.  Repeatedly  I  received  the  reply: 
'Ndcsi,'  'I  do  not  know^'  Then  I  asked  a  man  whom  I  knew 
intimately  and  he  gave  me  an  e:>iplanation.  [  le  said  that 
a  'doctor'  had  cooked  medicine  for  epilepsy  here.  At  such 
a  time  the  invalid  and  his  relatives  are  present.  The  medi- 
cine, consisting  for  the  most  part  of  roots,  is  mixed  with 
corn-meal  and  cooked  into  a  porric^'ge.  Of  this  the  invalid 
eats  a  portion.  The  rest  is  placed  in  an  old  earthen  pot, 
which  is  'buried  with  the  sickness'  at  the  crossing  of  two 
paths  in  such  a  manner  that  only  a  third  of  the  pot  projects 
from  the  ground.  Then  the  'doctor'  calls  on  his  departed 
relatives  to  render  help  and  to  take  away  the  sickness  from 
the  person  in  question.  The  spirits  are  supposed  to  transfer 
the  malady  to  some  strange  person  who  passes  this  way." 

In  their  daily  religious  life  regard  for  ancestors  plays  a 
prominent  role.  If  one  has  ended  his  life,  he  goes  to  the 
dead  in  the  lower  world.  From  this  world  the  dead  observe 
the  lives  of  their  relatives  and  often  decidedly  influence  or 
even  dispose  of  events.  They  j)unish  with  sickness  and  with 
misfortune.  The  evil  spirits,  whom  the  people  seek  to  bribe 
by  prayers  and  offerings,  and  in  particular  the  chief  of  the 
evil  spirits,  Mbasi,  are  possessed  of  a  mighty  and  keen 
desire  after  the  material  good  things  of  this  earth.  Their 
inclination  to  injure  men  must  constantly  be  worked  against; 


56  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

therefore  food  is  offered  to  them.  At  night  the  cry  of 
Mbasi  for  beer,  milk  or  meat  may  sometimes  be  heard  in 
the  darkness ;  it  fills  with  grewsome  fear.  At  times  he  de- 
sires to  be  appeased  with  cattle  or  women. 

After  the  body  has  been  buried  the  soul  in  due  time  leaves 
it  and  occupies  a  new  body,  fashioned  by  God  out  of  the 
heart-blood  of  the  corpse.  In  this  body  it  proceeds  to  the 
realm  of  the  dead.  But  existence  in  this  underworld  is  far 
from  cheerful.  Dreary  and  monotonous  days  are  spent 
there.  The  people  in  this  underworld  may  suffer  pangs  of 
hurger  and  thirst,  for  they  are  dependent  upon  their  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  for  their  food  and  drink,  and  for- 
getfulness  is  possible.  Yet  if  these  forget  to  place  what  they 
require  on  their  graves,  the  shades  revenge  themselves  by 
sending  sickness  and  misfortune.  But  at  times  hints  of  a 
separation  between  the  P"ood  and  the  evil  in  the  world  of 
the  dead  are  perceptible,  though  there  is  a  lack  of  details  in 
the  popular  conception  of  the  better  state.  The  evil  are 
ruled  over  by  an  evil  spirit  and  must  do  hard  labor.  Simi- 
larly the  East  African  heaven  is  very  materialistic.  The 
good  sit  on  stools  and  have  all  the  food  and  beer  they  desire. 
By  day  they  sleep  and  by  night  they  walk  abroad  with  God. 

I  egends  as  to  the  creation  of  man  have  not  yet  been  met 
with. 

Whether  or  no  anything  like  formal  religious  ritual  once 
existed  among  the  people  north  of  Lake  Nyasa,  can  not  now 
be  known.  If  so,  it  seems  to  have  outlived  itself  before  the 
coming  of  the  missionaries.  In  one  of  the  tribes,  the  titular 
high-priest,  who  held  the  office  by  hereditary  right,  on  be- 
coming a  Christian  at  Mbozi,  declared  that  he  himself  had 
never  brought  to  the  gods  or  to  the  ancestors  the  offerings 
which  it  was  the  right  of  his  family  to  present  for  the  tribe. 
His  family  had  fled  the  land  in  the  days  when  Merere  tyran- 
nized over  his  people,  and  when  they  returned  "the  chiefs 
were  too  stingy  to  provide  an  offering." 

Among  the  Konde  people  a  reminiscence  of  sacrificial 
worship  may  indeed  be  observed,  but  only  a  very  faded 
reminiscence.    As  in  the  case  of  all  heathen  offerings,  there 


THE  RELIGION  AND  MORALS  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  57 

is  no  attempt  to  typify  the  surrender  of  the  human  will  to 
the  divine ;  on  the  contrary  the  offering  supposedly  effects 
a  bribirg  of  the  deity.  There  is  no  connection  between  a 
recognized  sense  of  sin  and  transgression  with  the  presenta- 
tion of  a  gift  and  intercession.  Offerings  and  prayers  are 
called  forth  only  in  the  hour  of  need — on  occasions  of  sick- 
ness in  the  family,  during  epidemics,  on  the  failure  of  har- 
vests and  when  famine  threatens,  in  times  of  danger,  and 
the  like.  In  the  case  of  sickness  in  a  family,  when  the  primi- 
tive medicines  of  the  sorcerer  have  failed  to  bring  relief,  he 
indicates  whether  it  is  the  ancestors  of  the  mother  or  those 
of  the  father  that  require  to  be  appeased.  In  the  latter 
case,  the  obligation  to  attend  to  the  rites  rests  with  the  father 
or  his  father  or  elder  brother,  grandfather  and  elder  uncle 
of  the  sick  child  being  possessed  of  more  might  with  the 
spirits.  Does  the  source  of  the  trouble  lie  on  the  maternal 
side,  then  the  mother  requests  her  father  or  brother  or  some 
male  blood  relative  to  bring  the  offering  in  her  stead.  Bloody 
sacrifices  are  not  offered.  A  libation  of  beer  and  water  is' 
all  that  is  needed.  Generally  a  certain  banana  tree  nearest 
to  the  house  marks  the  site  of  the  contemplated  offering, 
and  two  small  holes  are  dug  for  the  reception  of  the  libation. 
Sometimes  it  is  sprayed  onto  the  grass  roof  of  the  house. 
The  ceremonial  is  as  follows :  The  members  of  the  family 
having  assembled,  the  officiator  prays,  "Thou,  God,  why 
are  Thou  angry?  Help  us.  And  you,  ye  fathers,  why  are 
ye  enraged?  Render  aid  to  the  chill;  may  it  recover,  may 
it  eat.  may  it  no  longer  be  sick."  Thereupon  he  takes  a 
small  hollowed  out  pumpkin,  that  serves  as  a  ladle  and  is 
filled  with  beer  or  water,  and  pours  the  contents  on  the 
banana  or  into  the  two  holes.  If  the  grass  roof  is  to  receive 
the  contents,  the  beer  or  water  is  taken  into  the  mouth  and 
squirted  on  the  th?t(h. 

In  the  case  of  epidemics  the  chief  as  a  rule  officiates.  But 
sometimes  the  whole  circle  of  relatives,  where  the  sickness 
exists,  unite  to  bri"g  the  offering  for  themselves.  A  sort  of 
consecration  precedes ;  that  is  to  say.  a  general  mutual  recon- 
ciliation takes  place.     Then  the  eldest  or  the  most  highly 


58  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

respected  transacts  the  ceremony  in  the  name  of  all.  He 
prays,  "Pass  by,  God,  and  do  not  punish  us,  but  render  us 
aid."  Then  he  takes  the  water  or  beer  in  his  mouth  and 
blows  it  in  the  direction  of  the  original  home  of  the  family. 
If  the  chief  attends  to  the  ceremonial,  he  acts  as  in  the  case 
next  to  be  described,  only  that  no  prayer  is  offered  to  the 
ancestors. 

It  is  the  chief's  prerogative  to  attend  to  the  function  when 
crops  threaten  to  fail,  when  famine  is  incipient  or  there  is 
danger  in  time  of  war,  though  the  duty  may  also  be  dis- 
charged by  a  sub-chief  or  spokesman,  or  one  who  is  espe- 
cially acquainted  with  what  is  requisite.  The  chief  assem- 
bles the  whole  clan,  men,  women  and  children,  and  advanc- 
irg  into  the  midst,  says :  "You  people,  I  have  called  you 
hither.  We  will  pray  to  God  because  this" — he  names  it — 
"has  happened.  May  God  be  favorable  to  us  and  render  us 
aid."  Then  he  takes  water  in  his  mouth  and  blows  it  in 
all  directions,  whilst  those  present  cry,  "Render  us  aid." 
Then  another  ceremony  follows,  in  which  only  the  chief  and 
his  "great  men"  participate.  In  a  sacred  grove  a  cow  is 
slaughtered,  and  as  much  as  possible  of  its  flesh  eaten ;  the 
rest  is  left  hanging  in  the  little  house  that  stands  in  the 
grove.  Some  remain  and  sleep  in  this  house,  while  the  rest 
return  to  their  homes.  Next  day  the  chief  and  his  compan- 
ions return  and  the  feasting  continues  in  this  manner  till 
the  flesh  has  all  been  eaten. 

Another  form  of  offering  is  known,  when  a  petition  is 
made  for  a  good  harvest.  The  product  is  brought,  which 
it  is  desired  to  enjoy  hereafter  in  abundance,  beer,  bananas, 
honey,  milk,  etc.  A  speaker  appointed  by  the  chief  is  the 
leader  in  this  ceremony.  Some  of  the  article  in  question  is 
partaken  of  by  him  and  the  rest  poured  out,  with  the  prayer: 
"May  there  be  much  beer,  many  bananas,  much  honey,  milk, 
etc.  Thou  God,  and  ye  fathers,  give  us  what  we  ask.  Favor 
us,  that  no  enemy  may  come." 

Wonders  in  nature,  like  earthquakes,  and  comets,  or 
eclipses,  may  also  call  forth  a  form  of  prayer.  In  the  last 
named  instances,  horns  are  blown  and  the  cry  is  uttered, 


THE  KELIGIOK   AND  MORALS  OF  THE  "PKOIM-i:.  59 

"God,  why  art  Thou  angry  with  us?  We  perish."  It  i> 
beheved  that  the  sun  or  the  moon  are  in  danger  of  forever 
losing  their  Hght. 

No  offerings  of  any  real  vakie  are  ever  brought.  No  sense 
of  guilt  over  against  the  deity  is  felt.  Astonishment  and 
dismay  at  most  lie  beneath  the  act  of  the  offerers.  As  little 
is  there  a  sense  of  gratitude,  when  a  misfortune  that  impend- 
ed has  passed  and  left  the  people  unscatlied.  whetlier  prayer 
was  oft'ered  or  not. 

It  is  a  popular  custom  to  observe  the  following  ceremony 
at  the  commencement  of  harvest.  Some  of  the  first-fruits 
are  brought  to  the  chief,  who  lays  the  produce  on  the  grave 
of  his  ancestors  and  prays  over  it.  Only  then  do  the  people 
proceed  to  the  actual  gathering  in  of  the  harvest. 

Although  paucity  characterizes  the  ceremonial  practices 
of  the  petiple.  superstition  affects  all  the  relationships  of  life. 
In  every  direction  the  influence  of  the  unseen  powers  is  sup- 
posed to  make  itself  felt. 

To  eat  the  flesh  of  goats  is  tabooed  for  certain  men ;  why, 
can  not  be  explained.  It  is  supposed  that  the  man  who 
would  dare  to  defy  this  custom,  would  suffer  madness. 

Women  dare  not  eat  the  flesh  of  fowls — it  would  produce 
sterility.  Certain  families  dare  net  eat  jackals,  nor  the  grain 
from  a  field  from  which  that  animal  has  stolen  a  single  cob 
of  maize.  Another  family  is  prohibited  from  eating  the 
flesh  of  a  certain  kind  of  deer,  because  it  would  produce 
leprosy  in  that  case.  Individual  persons  must  shun  mutton 
or  beef  or  sundry  varieties  of  game,  lest  this  or  that  sick- 
ness should  be  induced  thereby.  Furthermore  such  a  man 
must  be  careful  not  to  partake  of  food  of  any  sort  which 
has  been  cooked  in  a  pot  in  which  at  any  time  the  for  him 
tabooed  flesh  was  cooked. 

Certain  persons  on  drinking  a  certain  medicine  are  sup- 
posed to  have  the  power  to  change  themselves  into  lions. 
When  one  of  these  men  dies,  iron  claws  must  be  pushed 
under  the  nails  of  his  fingers  and  toes  and  when  he  has  been 
buried  a  post  must  be  planted  on  his  head  and  allowed  to 
protrude  out  of  the  ground.     The  white    ants    then    build 


60  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

about  this  post.  Later  a  little  lion  is  believed  to  come  out 
of  the  ant-hill,  and  is  cared  for  by  the  wife  of  the  dead  man 
til  it  has  reached  a  dang^erous  size,  when  it  is  led  out  into  the 
wilderness  with  various  ceremonies.  It  is  these  lions,  in 
the  estimation  of  the  people,  which  are  the  destroyers  of 
human  life,  for  not  all  lions  are  hostile  to  man.  And  just 
these  man  eaters  are  invulnerable. 

Certain  sorcerers  are  supposed  to  possess  the  gift  of  sec- 
ond sight,  so  that  they  can  spy  out  a  thief. 

It  is  supposed  that  man  has  only  two  bowels ;  in  the  one 
there  is  food,  in  the  other  water.  If  there  is  a  third,  empty 
bowel,  the  magic  medicine  or  poison  is  in  it,  though  invisible 
for  ordinary  men. 

The  Konde  people  believe  that  the  soul  of  certain  men 
may  leave  the  body  during  life-time.  This  capacity  it  is 
which  gives  the  power  of  second  sight.  These  wandering 
souls,  however,  are  particularly  inclined  to  do  mischief  to 
those  against  whom  they  have  a  spite  or  with  whom  they 
are  at  enmity.  But  other  people  possess  the  power  to  cap- 
ture such  wandering  souls.  When  this  happens,  the  man 
to  whom  the  wandering  soul  belonged,  never  wakes  again. 
He  is  dead. 

They  also  believe  that  certain  persons  have  snakes  in  their 
bodies,  which  they  can  send  forth  to  do  all  manner  of  ser- 
vice, working  evil  against  personal  enemies. 

There  are  probably  few  heathen  in  Nyasaland  who  do 
not  wear  amulets  of  some  kind  as  a  protection  against  all 
manner  of  evil,  and  few  huts  in  which  a  kind  of  medicine 
called  "Uiikota"  is  not  to  be  found.  "Unkota"  is  supposed 
to  protect  the  inhabitants  and  their  stock  from  any  and  every 
malady,  thanks  to  the  life-power  implanted  in  it  by  the  sor- 
cerer. "Unkota"  is  placed  where  bamboos  and  tobacco — 
both  of  them  highly  prized  plants — are  grown.  If  once  this 
medicine  is  known  to  have  been  put  down  in  such  places, 
no  thief  will  dare  to  go  near  them,  for  they  believe  it  has 
the  efifect  of  causing  their  legs  to  swell  and  thus  preventing 
them  from  escaping  detection.  This  "Unkota"  consists  of 
some  species  of  onion,  which  is  tied  to  a  stick  and  stuck  in 


Tin-:    RELIGION    AND    MORALS   OF   THE    I'EOl'LK.  61 

the  ground  near  the  tobacco  or  bamboo  plantation.  If  it  is 
desired  that  it  should  have  a  specially  strong  efifect,  a  spe- 
cially large  onion  is  chosen,  about  the  size  of  an  ostrich  egg, 
and  it  is  decorated  with  ten  large  hen's  feathers.  The  "Un- 
kota"  which  is  intended  to  protect  the  hut  with  its  inhabit- 
ants and  stock  consists  of  a  round  piece  of  wood,  three-quar- 
ters of  an  inch  long  and  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  To 
this  is  attached  a  small  piece  of  string,  or,  in  some  cases, 
fine  copper  or  brass  wire  is  wound  around  it  and  a  string  of 
beads  attached.    This  makes  the  charm  specially  effective. 

Another  "Uiikota"  consists  of  twigs  from  trees  and  ears 
of  a  certain  grain.  These  placed  on  a  path  may  prevent  a 
serious  sickness  from  spreading  from  the  house  whence  this 
path  leads,  or  may  confine  the  effect  of  an  accident  or  mis- 
fortune to  a  certain  house.  Is  it  known  that  such  "Unkota" 
lies  in  a  path,  the  people  will  go  far  out  of  their  way  to  avoid 
it,  lest  sickness  or  misfortune  might  overtake  them.  The 
path  is  for  the  time  effectually  barred. 

Ani  thus  they  live  in  perpetual  fear,  these  slaves  of  their 
self-invented  superstitions. 

The  absolute  lack  of  any  source  of  moral  strength — for 
such  a  religion  affords  no  source  of  help  or  uplift — has  in- 
evitably left  its  mark  on  the  character  of  the  people.  Con- 
science indeed  is  not  w^anting.  There  is  some  apprehension 
of  a  difference  between  right  and  wrong,  but  there  is  no 
ability  to  follow  the  better  instincts.  Young  and  old  alike 
are  adepts  at  lying  and  deceit.  Theft  is  very  common. 
Sexual  passions  are  curbed  only  by  the  fear  of  superior 
force  and  the  desire  to  preserve  a  sound  skin.  Lying  is  re- 
garded as  wrorg  only  when  another  receives  harm  from  it. 
Theft  of  food  by  day  calls  forth  only  reproach  and  abuse. 
But  if  it  takes  place  at  night,  and  the  thief  is  caught,  he 
either  receives  a  beating  with  a  stick  or  has  to  pay  one  or 
two  cattle.  Theft  of  cattle  or  other  important  property  is 
punished  with  a  similar  fine.  Serious  bodily  injury  is  liable 
to  a  severe  punishment.  He  who  loses  an  eye  receives  from 
the  perpetrator  his  sister  as  a  wife,  for  no  man  who  is  thus 
deformed  will  be  accepted  by  a  woman  of  her  own  free  will. 


62  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

And  in  addition  cattle  must  be  paid  to  smooth  over  the  in- 
jury. The  manslayer  flees  the  land  for  a  while.  After  the 
excitement  has  died  down,  he  returns  to  make  atonement. 
The  family  of  the  slain  have  the  right  to  ten  head  of  cattle 
at  his  hand,  and  he  must  furnish  a  wife  for  the  brother  of 
the  slain. 

—  Though  the  people  of  Nyasaland  make  a  pleasant  im- 
pression on  the  newcomer  through  their  love  of  cheerfulness 
and  mirth,  suicide  is  rather  frequent  among  them.  Men  will 
comit  suicide,  when  they  lose  a  wife  whom  they  dearly 
loved;  or  even  when  the  loss  of  a  pet  cow  depresses  them. 
Another  cause  of  suicide  is  the  being  crippled  in  war,  so 
that  in  future  it  will  not  be  possible  to  go  out  with  the  war- 
riors, but  he  must  remain  at  home  like  a  mere  woman. 
Girls  commit  suicide  because  compelled  to  marry  an  unac- 
ceptable man,  or  because  unable  to  mate  with  the  man  of 
their  choice.  With  men  the  favorite  mode  of  self-inflicted 
death  is  by  the  spear  or  by  poison.  Girls  fling  themselves 
into  the  water  of  a  river  or  lake,  where  greedy  crocodiles 
are  lurking  in  hordes. 

Possessed  of  a  lively  imagination  and  open  to  receive  im- 
pressions from  the  beauty  of  nature  around  them,  they  are 
fond  of  figurative  speech  and  seek  to  express  in  metaphors 
whatever  appears  wonderful  to  them. 

An  eclipse  of  the  sun  they  suppose  to  be  occasioned  by 
the  wrath  of  God,  called  forth  by  men's  warring  with  each 
other.  As  soon  as  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  or  moon  sets  in, 
horns  are  blown  and  the  people  assemble  to  pray.  God 
hears  these  prayers,  for  he  says  in  pity :  "My  children  trem- 
ble and  are  full  of  fear." 

The  sun  is  supposed  to  travel  by  nip^ht  back  to  the  east 
through  a  part  of  the  sky  which  is  not  visible  to  them. 

The  charges  of  the  moon  are  explained  thus :  "The  moon 
wanders  so  long  that  he  becomes  tired  and  weak  and  shriv- 
els, till  he  dies.    Then  God  creates  a  new  moon." 

Of  the  stars  the  children  say :  "They  are  fires  which  the 
children  of  God  dwelling  in  heaven  have  kindled."  Their 
elders  say :  "The  stars  are  children  of  the  sun  and  moon. 


THE    RELIGION    AND    MORALS   OF   THE    PEOPLE.  63 

By  night  they  wander  up  there.  In  the  morning  they  fall 
down  and  are  the  dew  drops  on  the  grass.  Once  more  men 
see  them  in  the  dews  of  evening,  when  they  ascend  again 
to  heaven." 

Thunder  storms  are  caused  by  the  strife  of  the  clouds. 
The  thunder  is  the  angry  shouting  of  the  warriors.  The 
lightning  flashes  are  the  gleam  of  their  weapons.  When  a 
stroke  misses  its  aim  it  falls  to  earth  and  does  great  damagfe 
there. 


64  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  FIRSTFRUITS  GATHERED. 

As  a  rule  a  number  of  years  must  pass  before  the  heathen 
understand  what  the  purpose  of  pioneer  missionaries  really 
is.  Their  first  thought  leads  them  to  suspect  that  the  white 
men  have  ulterior  motives  connected  with  the  acquisition  of 
land  or  of  property,  herds,  or  the  like.  In  German  East 
Africa,  where  the  arrival  of  the  messengers  of  the  Gospel 
coincided  in  a  number  of  instances  with  the  expansion  of 
colonial  power,  it  was  natural  that  they  were  regarded  as 
the  pioneers  of  the  political  advance  of  Germany.  Among 
the  first  tasks  of  the  missionaries  belonged  the  endeavor  to 
remove  all  such  misconceptions.  But  even  quite  apart  from 
these  causes  for  misunderstanding,  difficulties  enough  lay 
in  the  way  of  imparting  a  correct  idea  of  their  designs. 

The  first  attempt  at  holding  formal  religious  worship 
with  the  Konde  people  was  made  on  Christmas  Day,  1892. 
An  invitation  had  been  extended  to  the  workmen  at  the  sta- 
tion and  to  the  people  of  the  native  village  adjacent  to 
Rungwe.  Thirty-five  persons  including  children  responded 
and  assembled  in  the  dwelling  of  the  missionaries.  They 
listened  with  dumb  astonishment  to  the  singing  of  a  hymn. 
Then  Meyer  commenced  to  explain  to  them  in  their  own 
speech  the  significance  of  the  day,  that  this  day  a  Saviour 
was  born  to  them.  Naturally  the  address  in  the  not  yet  fully 
mastered  tongue  was  by  no  means  as  perfect  as  the  speaker 
himself  could  have  wished,  and  that  the  hearers  fully  un- 
derstood its  inner  significance,  could  scarcely  be  affirmed. 
But  dismissed  with  trifling  Christmas  presents,  the  people 
at  least  grasped  the  idea  that  these  strangers  were  their 
friends  and  had  come  to  bring  them  something  of  value. 

In  August,  1893,  a  commencement  was  made  with  stated 
preaching.  Marked  progress  had  by  this  time  been  made  in 
the  use  of  the  Konde  language.  These  Sunday  services 
were  so  conducted,  with  very  considerable  freedom  of 
ritual,  that  question  and  answer  were  in  order  in  con- 
nection with  the   sermon.     It  was  not  to  be  wondered  at 


THE   FIKSTFRUITS  GATHERED.  65 

that  the  questions  put  by  the  people  showed  a  lack  of 
a  correct  conception  of  the  nature  of  sin.  The  need  of  re- 
demption did  not  exist  among  them.  "We  are  no  sinners," 
they  would  affirm.  "We  are  good.  We  worship  God  and 
thank  Him  for  what  He  has  given  us,  for  our  children,  our 
cattle,  our  food.  All  you  tell  us,  we  do  already.  We  have 
come  to  hear  you  only  because  you  called  us."  But  they  de- 
clared their  willingness  to  come  again.  "  We  are  willing 
to  hear  and  to  learn ;  but  we  can  learn  only  very  gradually." 

At  first  the  services  took  place  in  the  open.  The  mission- 
ary stood  in  the  shade  of  his  verandah  as  he  spoke,  and  the 
people  sat  on  the  ground  around  and  in  front  of  the  house. 

The  preaching  was  supplemented  by  evangelistic  visits  to 
the  villages.  At  first  the  attention  secured  was  but  small. 
But  the  efTorts  attained  new  importance,  when  one  of  the 
neighboring  chiefs,  Muasioge,  requested  the  missionaries  to 
visit  his  villages  and  preach  in  them,  an  invitation  that  was 
gladly  accepted.  Richard  made  the  first  attempt  in  response. 
On  the  first  occasion  it  took  an  hour  to  get  the  people,  who 
were  scattered  through  the  village  in  groups,  to  assemble 
at  one  point.  But  then  the  missionary  had  an  opportunity 
to  address  several  hundred.  He  spoke  of  the  love  of  God 
and  His  sending  His  Son  for  the  redemption  of  men.  The 
people  were  very  attentive.  A  man  who  tried  to  make  a 
disturbance  was  at  once  silenced  by  the  chief.  On  one  of 
the  following  Sundays  Richard  made  use  of  an  incorrect 
word ;  loud  laughter  followed,  but  some  of  the  old  men  cor- 
rected the  mistake,  ordered  quiet,  and  the  address  could  be 
resumed.  After  a  while  the  attendance  on  these  occasions 
decreased,  which  was  not  unnatural.  The  novelty  gradually 
wore  away  and  the  knovvle 'ge  of  the  language  on  the  part 
of  the  speaker  was  too  inadequate  to  permit  of  commanding 
attention  through  effectiveness  of  speech  or  through  ability 
to  place  himself  in  the  mental  attitude  of  the  hearers.  One 
of  the  chiefs,  who  had  manifested  some  receptiveness  for 
the  message,  noted  the  decline  in  the  attendance  with  regret. 
Having  recourse  to  guile  he  said :  "You  people  will  receive 
pay  if  you  corne.     Only  come."     Taken  to  account  for  this 


66  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

he  made  excuse  saying,  "The  people  will  otherwise  no  longer 
come;  one  must  do  so." 

At  the  mission  station  itself  better  attention  was  secured 
in  connection  with  the  Sunday  services.  But  the  morning 
prayers,  from  the  commencement  daily  maintained  for  all 
the  work-people,  seemed  to  be  the  best  means  for  promoting 
an  understanding  of  the  meaning  of  the  Gospel.  Here  the 
same  people  participated  in  the  services  day  after  day,  whilst 
the  congregations  in  the  villages  varied  very  much  from 
time  to  time.  These  morning  prayers  were  enlivened  by 
song;  for  the  people  themselves  gladly  learnt  hymns  trans- 
lated into  their  own  tongue  and  taught  in  the  school.  The 
life  of  our  Saviour  was  systematically  presented  in  short 
addresses.  And  so  Christmas,  1893,  approached.  About 
two  hundred  people  participated  in  its  celebration.  By  the 
light  of  two  fine  large  eucalyptus  trees  arranged  as  Christmas 
trees  the  story  of  the  wonderful  birth  was  read  and  a  brief 
discourse  given.  Song  and  prayer  contributed  to  the  cele- 
bration. Lighted  tapers  and  small  presents  were  distributed. 
By  this  time  an  advance  in  understanding  with  regard  to  the 
meaning  of  it  all  was  apparent. 

During  the  following  year  it  was  plain  that  the  people's 
conception  of  the  purpose  of  the  missionaries  was  becoming 
more  and  more  clear.  Soon  after  the  commencement  of  the 
new  year  earnest  words  spoken  to  the  wailing  crowds  at  the 
funeral  of  a  suicide  aroused  reflection  among  many.  Here 
and  there  questions  that  were  addressed  to  the  missionaries 
disclosed  the  fact  that  the  good  seed  was  beginning  to  germi- 
nate, that  the  word  preached  did  not  leave  hearts  and  minds 
unaffected.  On  one  occasion,  when  Bachmann  was  return- 
ing from  a  service  in  Muasioge's  village,  accompanied  by 
his  gardener,  not  trusting  his  own  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage, he  asked  the  man,  "Tell  me,  do  you  understand  us, 
when  we  preach  ?"  "O,  yes,"  was  the  reply.  "Come  then, 
repeat  to  me  a  little  of  what  you  have  heard."  After  some 
reflection  the  man  said :  "You  always  tell  us  that  God  is  so 
great  and  possesses  so  much  power.  But  why  does  he  not 
then  simply  kill  Satan,  so  that  he  can  no  longer  tempt  men  ?" 


the:  firstfruits  gathered.  67 

The  reply  of  the  missionary,  that  God  would  do  this  some 
day,  but  that  meanwhile  men  may  turn  from  the  power  and 
-service  of  the  devil,  God  helping  them,  seemed  to  satisfy 
the  man.  But  then  the  man  continued:  "There  are  so  few 
peo])le  here  who  tell  us  about  God.  At  my  home  in  Merere's 
land  there  is  not  a  single  white  man.  The  people  therefore 
know  nothing  about  God.  Why  do  not  more  white  men 
come  to  teach  us?"  The  missionary  comforted  him  with  the 
assurance  that  in  time  more  missionaries  would  come.  From 
this  day  the  gardener  was  an  attentive  hearer  and  the  mis- 
sionaries were  encouraged  to  believe  that  the  word  was  be- 
ing accompanied  by  the  manifestation  of  the  spirit. 

And  yet  patient  perseverance  was  required,  before  the 
firstfruits  could  be  gathered  in.  The  first  church  building 
in  Rungwe  was  finished  in  1894,  but  the  first  convert  could 
not  be  baptized  before  1897. 

Rut  already  in  1896  the  missionaries  were  gladdened  by 
the  special  receptivity  of  three  of  their  hearers.  The  first 
was  a  young  man,  Rambasika,  about  twenty  years  of  age, 
who  had  identified  himself  with  Rungwe  from  the  very  first, 
as  a  workman  in  connection  with  building  operations  and 
then  in  the  school.  In  1896  he  had  absented  himself  to  pay 
a  visit  to  his  home  on  the  western  coast  of  Lake  Nyasa  in 
British  territory ;  but  he  had  returned,  and  resumed  work 
with  his  old  fidelity.  The  second  was  Fiabarema,  a  woman 
in  the  forties,  who  had  appeared  at  Rungwe  in  September, 
1894,  in  company  with  her  son,  Muasanyera,  the  third  of 
the  trio.  At  Christmas,  1896,  these  three  intimated  that 
they  were  determined  to  follow  Jesus  and  belong  wholly 
to  Tlim. 

Fiabarema's  appearance  at  the  station  had  been  a  peculiar 
one.  When  she  arrived  from  a  neighboring  village,  she  was 
in  a  most  pitiful  physical  condition.  It  was  indeed  no  doubt 
Tier  bodily  ailments  that  had  impelled  her  to  seek  healing  at 
Rungwe.  Completely  emaciated  and  almost  powerless,  she 
could  only  drag  herself  along  with  much  effort  on  hands 
and  feet.  The  half  of  one  foot  was  a  great  festering  sore. 
But  in  time  the  wound  healed,  yet  the  leg  remained  lame. 


68  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

At  Christmas,  1894,  each  of  the  sick  living  at  the  mission 
received  a  gift  of  milk.  She,  too,  came  creeping  forward 
with  her  wooden  vessel  in  her  hand  to  receive  her  gift  of 
milk.  Already  from  a  distance  she  eagerly  stretched  out 
her  hand — a  pitiful  sight.  Bachmann  thought  to  himself, 
"Oh,  if  you  would  only  stretch  out  your  hand  with  equal 
lorgirg  to  receive  the  pure  milk  of  the  word!"  This  wish 
was  fulfilled.  The  germ  of  this  longing  was  no  doubt  al- 
ready there.  She  attended  the  services  regularly.  By  March 
of  the  following  year  her  wound  was  sufficiently  healed  to 
permit  of  her  being  employed  at  light  work  in  the  garden. 
As  soon  as  she  had  earned  a  piece  of  cotton  goods,  she 
clothed  herself  and  no  longer  went  in  her  former  nakedness, 
whilst  other  women  in  spite  of  their  earnings  were  satisfied 
to  wear  their  scanty  covering  of  bark  and  grass,  not  follow- 
ing her  example  till  much  later.  In  November,  1895,  after 
a  service  she  came  to  the  missionary  and  said,  "I  want  to 
follow  Jesus."  And  she  also  showed  that  she  carried  prac- 
tical questions  of  every  day  to  her  Lord  in  prayer.  But  her 
course  did  not  run  altOP"ether  smoothly.  In  March,  1896, 
her  conduct  seemed  to  have  completely  changed.  Now  she 
manifested  a  fawning  obsequiousness  and  again  she  became 
impudent  and  defiant.  Previously  neither  trait  had  been 
noted  in  her.  It  seemed  as  though  something  lay  on  her 
conscience.  And  this  was  the  case.  When  questioned,  she 
admitted  having  stolen  some  flour,  whilst  employed  to  pre- 
pare it.  The  other  women  who  worked  with  her  did  this 
and  she  could  not  resist  the  temptation  set  by  their  example. 
But  after  she  had  confessed  her  sin  and  asked  to  be  for- 
given, the  ban  was  broken.  She  returned  to  her  former  self. 
Soon  after  Easter  she  brought  her  earnings  of  a  month  with 
the  declaration  that  she  wanted  to  give  this  to  Jesus  in  grati- 
tude to  Him  for  what  He  had  done  for  her.  When  in  Octo- 
ber she  saw  fine  large  Bible  pictures  and  heard  that  in  the 
German  home  of  the  missionaries  children  had  collected  to 
purchase  and  send  these  pictures,  she  reflected  for  a  while 
and  then  brought  a  piece  of  goods,  saying  that  she  wanted 
to  present  it  to  the  mission,  and  was  not  to  be  moved  from 


THE  FIRSTFRUITS  GATHERED.  69 

this  purpose.  "I  have  it  good  in  externals,"  she  said,  "and 
in  addition  hear  God's  word  and  knew  that  God  loves  mc. 
I  must  give  Him  something  for  this." 

In  December  she  had  a  conversation  with  Bachmann,  that 
clearly  indicated  her  faith.  It  was  out  on  the  open  field. 
Their  talk  with  each  other  turned  upon  death.  "When  I 
become  really  sick,  no  one  shall  take  much  trouble  to  try  to 
heal  me,"  she  said.  "When  my  time  comes,  that  I  must  die, 
I  shall  be  happy."  When  further  questioned,  she  replied, 
"Yes,  I  rejoice  in  the  thought  of  death,  for  then  I  shall  come 
to  Jesus."  "But  will  He  receive  you.  He,  the  pure  and  holy 
one,  will  He  receive  you  with  your  sins?"  "Yes.  He  has 
taken  my  sins  on  Himself  and  has  done  away  with  them, 
since  He  died  on  a  piece  of  wood  with  two  branches  for  me 
and  shed  His  blood  for  me.  Now  the  sorcerers  can  no 
longer  harm  me,  not  even  if  they  are  stirred  up  by  my  family 
to  do  this  and  kill  me  by  their  arts.  For  Jesus  has  con- 
quered the  devil.  In  any  case  I  shall  go  to  Jesus."  After 
such  a  confession  of  faith  it  v^as  evident  that  she  was  ripe 
for  baptism. 

That  she  possessed  a  tender  conscience  was  indicated  by 
the  following  experience.  Her  daughter  lost  her  little  son, 
probably  poisoned  by  the  stirg  of  an  insect.  This  poor 
mother  in  despair  wailed  and  lamented  with  terrible  outcries 
and  threw  herself  on  her  child.  So  Fiabarema  was  asked 
to  try  to  comfort  her  daughter.  Thereupon  she  went  with 
her  daughter  into  the  village.  On  her  return  she  related 
what  had  transpired  in  the  following  manner:  "I  went  with 
her,  because  I  feared  that  in  her  despair  my  daughter  would 
take  her  life.  And  I  wept  with  her,  but  quietly.  In  that 
I  did  nothing  wrong.  But  when  she  cut  open  the  bof'y  of 
her  child,  to  discover  the  cause  of  his  death,  I  ought  not  to 
have  permitted  it.  But  I  yielded  to  my  relatives  and  allowed 
this.  That  was  wrong.  But  I  went  at  once  into  the  grass 
and  disclosed  my  shame  to  Jesus  and  prayed  to  Him  to  take 
away  my  sin.  He  has  forgiven  me.  but  my  heart  has  become 
light  and  free  only  since  I  have  told  it  to  you." 

6 


70  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

Shortly  before  her  baptism  she  related,  that  her  father 
had  once  lent  a  cow  to  a  friend.  This  man  never  returned 
it,  and  meanwhile  her  father  died.  Of  right  the  cow  be- 
longed to  her.  From  this  cow  the  man  had  gained  ten  calves 
in  the  course  of  time.  "Shall  I  not  ask  him  for  at  least  one 
cow  or  for  two?"  she  asked.  "Or  would  that  not  be  con- 
sistent with  the  receipt  of  baptism  on  my  part?"  When  the 
missionaries  talked  over  the  afifair  with  her,  it  seemed  very 
unlikely  that  the  man  would  surrender  any  cattle  of  his  own 
free  will.  To  carry  the  matter  before  the  colonial  authori- 
ties would  be  to  no  purpose,  for  the  debt  had  long  been  out- 
lawed by  the  statute  of  limitation.  Fiabarema  said :  "Con- 
tend about  it,  I  will  not.  I  will  not  bother  about  the  cows. 
For  at  any  costs  I  want  to  be  baptized,  and  I  will  surrender 
anything  that  would  interfere  with  that.  I  want  to  belong 
wholly  to  God." 

Thus  the  Spirit  of  God  had  been  working  in  the  heart  of 
Fiabarema  and  influencing  her  life.  Under  His  guidance 
she  had  been  steadily  advancing  in  knowledge  and  in  char- 
acter, and  she  had  been  exerting  a  specially  good  influence 
over  tTie  two  other  candidates,  her  son,  Muasanyera,  and 
Rambasika.  The  former  was  an  earnest,  thoughtful  young 
man,  somewhat  slow  in  apprehension,  but  holding  clearly 
and  fixedly  to  that  which  he  apprehended  and  resolute  in 
standing  up  for  that  which  he  believed  to  be  the  will  of 
Jesus.  Like  his  mother  he  possessed  the  gift  of  direct,  sim- 
ple and  natural  speech.  Rambasika  had  reached  a  decision 
for  Christ  a  little  later  than,  the  other  two,  although  he  had 
carried  himself  well  and  had  won  a  reputation  for  reliabil- 
ity. Gifted  with  quick  apprehension  and  of  a  quick,  intel- 
lectual temperament,  he  was,  however,  not  wholly  free  from 
an  inclination  to  superficiality. 

When  the  significance  of  baptism  was  made  clear  to  them, 
they  all  declared  with  decisiveness  and  gladness,  that  they 
desired  to  belong  to  Jesus  without  reservation. 

The  day  for  their  baptism  had  not  yet  been  set,  though 
it  was  understood  that  should  soon  take  place.  Meyer  was 
to  leave  Rungwe  in  order  to  remove  to  Ipyana  on  the  shore 


THE    FIRSTFRUITS    GATHERED.  71 

of  Lake  Nyasa.  Bachnianii  should  take  his  place  and  in  his 
absence  administer  the  baptism.  On  the  7th  of  February, 
1897,  Meyer  preached  at  Rungvve.  His  farewell  discourse 
was  based  on  the  parable  of  the  tares  among  the  wheat. 
When  he  had  ended,  quite  unexpectedly  Fiabarema  stepped 
close  up  to  the  desk  and  said :  "I  have  risen  to  say  that  I  am 
God's  property.  I  want  to  follow  Jesus  and  to  belong  to 
Him  alone.  In  the  strength  of  God  I  dare  avoid  sin.  God 
is  my  Father."  A  deathlike  stillness  prevailed  in  the 
crowded  church,  as  the  missionary  replied,  "God  has  heard 
what  you  have  said,  Fiabarema.  Do  that,  and  God  will  re- 
ceive you  as  His  child."  Strange  to  say  this  influence  of 
the  Spirit  was  misunderstood  in  the  same  way  as  was  His 
influence  at  Pentecost.  Voices  were  afterwards  heard  among 
the  people :  "The  woman  was  drunk."  But  the  action  of 
I'^iabarema  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  missionaries,  and 
they  joyfully  resolved  that  her  baptism  should  take  place 
that  same  day.  In  all  haste  the  church  was  decorated  with 
flowers  and  at  seven  in  the  evening  all  were  invited  to  be 
present,  who  had  hitherto  manifested  interest  in  the  word  of 
God.  It  was  a  solemn  hour,  this  first  baptism  in  the  Nyasa 
mission  of  the  Moravian  Church.  A  complete  assurance  ex- 
isted that  this  soul  had  been  really  won  and  that  God  had 
drawn  her  to  Himself.  Fiabarema  presented  an  attractive  ap- 
pearance in  her  white  baptismal  dress  with  her  white  head- 
covering.  She  received  the  name  which  she  had  chosen. 
"Numuagirc,"  that  is,  "I  have  found  Him,  viz.,  Jesus." 

One  week  later  Meyer  preached  yet  again.  After  the 
sermon,  also  quite  spontaneously,  Muasanyera  rose  and 
made  his  confession  of  faith  in  simple  and  direct  but  also 
in  distinct  and  clear  expressions.  Questions  were  addressed 
to  him  without  any  previous  notification  and  he  replied  to 
them  most  naturally  and  satisfactorily.  The  same  evening 
he  was  also  baptized  and  given  the  name,  "Niganilc" — "I 
will."  Finally  on  March  7  Rambasika  was  also  baptized  and 
rejoiced  in  the  new  name  of  "Mcayigc" — "I  have  been 
blessed." 


72  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

In  the  villages  around  Rungwe  all  was  now  excitement. 
The  heathen  regarded  the  act  of  baptism  as  a  sort  of  sorcery, 
which  the  whites  had  practiced  on  their  countrymen.  They 
let  the  baptized  alone,  but  did  all  in  their  power  to  dissuade 
others  who  were  receiving  special  instruction  as  candidates 
for  baptism.  The  women  in  particular  had  to  endure  much 
at  the  hands  of  their  relatives.  One  was  forbidden  by  her 
son  to  take  any  such  step,  and  she  beat  a  retreat.  To  an- 
other her  husband  declared,  "Bring  me  back  the  cows  which 
I  paid  to  your  father  for  you,  and  then  make  ofif  with  your- 
self." This  was  equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  divorce.  But 
she  stood  firm,  and  her  husband  was  later  reconciled  to  her 
decision.  A  third  was  threatened  :  "The  chief  will  slay  you  !" 
This  induced  irresolution  for  a  time.  For  a  while  she  ab- 
sented herself  from  the  catechumen's  class.  She  even  said 
in  her  perplexity :  "I  do  not  want  to  be  a  child  of  God.  I 
will  remain  with  my  relatives.  What  do  I  care  for  the  wa- 
ter?" But  later  she  bitterly  repented  of  this  utterance,  and 
prayed  to  have  it  forgiven. 

Since  the  threat  had  been  uttered,  that  the  baptized  would 
be  punished  by  the  chief,  Bachmann  sought  him  out  per- 
sonally and  urged  him  with  all  earnestness  not  to  keep  his 
people  from  receivirg  baptism.  He  gave  the  assurance  that 
it  was  not  his  intention:  "Since  I  did  not  prevent  my  people 
from  working  for  you,  so,  too,  I  will  not  prevent  them  from 
being  baptized."  But  his  younger  brother,  whom  he  sent 
next  day  to  treat  with  the  missionaries  in  his  place,  made 
use  of  quite  different  language.  He  had  been  sent  to  dis- 
cover who  had  declared,  "If  you  let  yourself  be  baptized, 
the  chief  will  slay  you."  But  instead  of  really  carrying  out 
this  commission,  he  egged  on  the  people  against  the  mission- 
aries and  mocked  their  work.  Then  Bachmann  said  to  him: 
"You  are  not  carrying  out  the  business  with  which  the  chief 
charged  you,  but  are  uttering  what  is  in  accordance  with 
your  own  mind.  But  we  messengers  of  God  do  net  speak 
as  we  wish,  but  that  which  God  has  commissioned  us  to 
speak.  If  you  do  not  charge  and  receive  the  word  which 
God  sends  to  you,  a  day  awaits  you  when  God  will  call  you 


THE   FIRSTFRUITS   GATHERED.  73 

to  account."  However,  if  here  and  there  a  few  allowed 
themselves  to  be  frightened  away  by  opposition,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  converts  stood  firm.  Gradually  the  wrath  of 
the  opponents  died  down.  The  number  of  those  who  wished 
to  become  children  of  God  increased.  The  declaration  of 
the  heathen  ceased :  "You  may  hear  the  message  of  the 
white  men,  but  you  dare  not  be  baptized." 


74  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

WIDENING    THE   BASE    OF    OPERATIONS. 

Already  prior  to  the  first  baptism  it  had  been  found  de- 
sirable to  extend  the  base  of  operations.  Two  missionary 
couples  had  been  sent  out  as  reenforcements  in  1894,  Jean 
Ledoux  and  Johannes  Kootz  with  their  young  brides.  In 
order  to  secure  a  base  of  communications,  where  goods  and 
letters  from  Europe  might  be  received,  and  to  claim  for 
Protestantism  a  strategic  point  by  the  right  of  prior  occu- 
pation Ipyana  was  occupied  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Kibila, 
or  Kibira,  two  hours  distant  from  the  shore  of  Lake  Nyasa. 
From  here  fine  views  are  to  be  had  of  the  Livingstone  range 
and  also  of  the  Rungwe  mountains  and  the  hills  of  Bundali, 
when  mists  do  not  obscure  the  summits.  But  even  in  the 
cooler  months  heat  must  be  endured,  for  even  then  at  mid- 
day the  mercury  ranges  from  87  to  95  degrees.  And  Ru- 
tenganio  was  laid  out  near  the  southern  edge  of  the  plateau 
which  nestles  between  the  Rungwe  mountain  and  the  high- 
lands of  Bundali,  as  a  link  in  the  chain  of  posts  later  to  reach 
out  into  the  interior.  In  the  native  tongue  the  former  name 
signifies  "Grace"  and  the  latter  "Peace."  Haefner  and  Le- 
doux were  appointed  to  Ipyana  and  Richard  and  Kootz  to 
Rutenganio. 

For  the  confidence  of  the  people  was  being  won  even  more 
speedily  than  many  had  dared  to  hope  would  be  the  case. 
Here  as  so  often  in  the  history  of  missions,  the  messengers 
had  come  in  the  fulness  of  time.  God  in  His  providence  had 
been  preparing  the  people  to  receive  them  as  expected  guests. 
Prophetic  utterances,  that  gleamed  like  stars  in  the  dark 
night  of  heathenism,  had  prepared  the  way  for  them  in  a 
manner  unknown  to  the  church  that  sent  the  messengers  and 
unknown  to  the  messengers  themselves. 

Once,  whilst  instruction  was  being  imparted  to  the  re- 
cently baptized  Christians  in  Rungwe,  the  text  was  met  with, 
"There  shall  be  signs  in  the  heavens."  Thereupon  Numu- 
agire  related  that  about  thirty  years  previously  strange  signs 
in  the  sky  had  attracted  general  attention  in  Kondeland.     It 


WIDENING    THE    BASE   OF    OPERATIONS.  75 

appeared  as  though  many  camp  hres  were  Ht  there,  and  then, 
as  they  began  to  die  down,  as  though  people  sat  around  them. 
A  man  of  her  people,  named  Aluakikando,  had  then  uttered 
the  following  prophecy  :  "There  is  also  another  Lord,  who 
is  very  great  and  good.  And  there  is  another  town,  which 
is  very  beautiful.  Are  our  chiefs  good?  No,  they  deceive 
us.  Are  our  villages  good?  No,  they  are  poor.  The  great 
Lord  in  heaven  has  sent  His  fire  to  us;  but  that  is  not  all. 
He  will  also  send  people  to  us ;  people,  whom  we  have  never 
seen,  will  come  and  tell  us  of  this  Lord,  and  what  He  would 
have  us  do.  These  people  will  bring  witli  them  much  stuff 
for  clothing.  When  I  am  dead  you  will  see  that  I  speak  the 
truth."  She  added  to  this,  that  when  the  missionaries  Meyer 
and  Richard  pitched  their  tent  in  Muakapalile,  her  husband 
had  at  once  said  to  her:  "These  are  the  ]ieo])le  of  whom 
Muakikando  had  spoken."  Because  she  had  been  prepared 
in  this  manner,  she  had  so  quickly  grasped  God's  Word. 
Most  of  that  which  the  missionaries  had  said  appeared  to 
her  new;  but  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  she  had  heard  some  of 
the  message  previously. 

In  this  corner  of  the  earth  as  elsewhere  the  old  order  was 
followed;  "in  the  fulness  of  time"  the  Saviour  appeared. 
The  surprisingly  good  reception  which  the  missionaries  ev- 
erywhere received  was  accounted  for.  The  people  were 
anxious  to  hear  what  the  whites  had  to  say  to  them.  For 
this  reason  crowds  assembled  not  only  at  the  station,  but 
also  when  missionary  tours  were  made  through  the  villages. 
Indeed  many  of  the  people  were  desirous  to  build  their  huts 
beside  the  houses  of  the  Europeans.  Doubtless  at  times 
other  than  the  most  honorable  and  disinterested  motives 
came  into  play.  Some  wished  for  new  clothes.  Others 
wanted  to  be  able  to  l^oast  that  they  were  in  alliance  with 
the  whites.  Whatever  the  motive,  the  missionaries  were  not 
disturbed ;  they  realized  that  the  lukewarm  would  thin  out 
of  themselves  in  the  course  of  time,  after  they  had  discov- 
ered that  external  gains  were  not  to  be  counted  upon. 

Nor  was  it  long  before  a  c'ecHne  in  the  attendance  set 
in.     When  it  was  discovered  that  onlv  the  reliable  work- 


76  HISTORY  OF  NY  ASA  MISSION. 

people  received  good  pay,  and  that  the  strangers  did  noth- 
ing to  lure  the  loafers ;  when  it  became  more  and  more  ap- 
parent from  the  contents  of  the  addresses,  that  becoming  a 
Christian  was  no  mere  matter  of  form  and  ceremony,  but 
involved  a  step  that  had  to  do  with  the  deepest  experiences 
of  life  in  quite  a  revolutionary  way,  many  withdrew  their 
interest. 

One  great  disappointment  was  experienced  even  in  the 
years  prior  to  the  first  baptism.  In  November,  1893,  Baron 
von  Eltz  succeeded  in  delivering  a  caravan  of  more  than 
two  hundred  slaves  from  an  Arab  trader,  Mrosi.  For 
thirty  of  these,  chiefly  women  and  children  who  had  been 
dragged  so  far  from  their  homes  that  a  return  was  impos- 
sible, he  could  find  no  other  disposal  than  to  place  them  in 
the  care  of  the  missionaries  at  Rungwe.  The  Berlin  mis- 
sionaries had  already  consented  to  give  refuge  to  sixty  of 
the  party.  They  belonged  to  a  variety  of  tribes,  and  at  first 
the  barrier  of  language  rendered  it  not  at  all  easy  to  con- 
verse with  them.  Wearied  nearly  to  death  and  more  than 
half  starved,  they  were  the  most  forlorn  of  the  forlorn. 
Huts  were  built  for  them  in  the  native  fashion  on  the  land 
of  the  station.  Some  of  the  women  found  husbands  in  the 
men  already  living  at  the  station.  One  for  example  married 
the  cook  of  the  missionaries,  a  certain  Muarpia,  who  had 
served  them  faithfully  from  the  first.  The  one  man  of  the 
freed  slaves  assigned  to  Rungwe  proved  to  be  of  a  quiet  and 
steady  disposition,  and  soon  settled  down  to  work  in  the 
garden.  But  the  children  and  half-grown  girls,  wild  as 
foxes,  caused  perplexity  from  the  first,  utterly  unaccustomed 
as  they  were  to  order  and  restraint.  In  spite  of  kind  and 
sympathetic  treatment,  one  after  another  slipped  away  and 
made  for  other  parts,  the  women  with  their  husbands  or 
their  children,  so  that  by  the  end  of  1893  only  seven  re- 
mained, all  of  them  children,  who  also  would  no  doubt  have 
run  away  if  they  had  known  where  their  former  homes  lay 
and  how  to  reach  them.  Even  among  these  seven  it  was 
only  the  minority  that  became  willing  to  accept  the  truths 


WIDENING    THE    BASE    OF   OPERATIONS.  77 

of  that  religion  which  they  had  to  thank  for  their  rescue 
from  a  terrible  fate. 

And  then  in  1897  came  a  yet  more  severe  time  of  test. 
Frequently  the  missionaries  had  served  as  the  negotiators 
of  peace  between  the  authorities  at  Langenburg  and  ob- 
streperous chiefs.  l')Ut  a  time  came  when  success  no  longer 
attended  such  efforts.  In  December,  1897,  a  hostile  rising 
broke  out  near  Ipyana  beside  the  lake.  The  fire  of  discon- 
tent had  long  been  glowing  beneath  the  ashes.  The  chiefs 
had  been  looking  on  with  bitterness,  as  the  independence 
received  from  their  fathers  disappeared  bit  by  bit  and  their 
own  consequence  sank  more  and  more.  Finally  a  slight  pufT 
of  wind  fanned  the  glow  into  a  flame.  Askaris,  black  sol- 
diers in  the  service  of  the  government,  took  provisions 
without  paying  for  them.  Possibly  religious  interests  also 
contributed  to  the  outburst.  The  witch-doctors  and  sooth- 
sayers saw  their  opportunities  for  gain  threatened  by  the 
preaching  of  the  missionaries,  and  are  said  to  have  egged 
on  the  people.  Old  women  of  influence  were  also  stirrers 
up  of  strife.  In  a  certain  grove  near  the  Berlin  station, 
Manow,  a  sacrificial  feast  was  appointed  and  the  saying 
spread  abroad  among  the  people,  that  after  these  sacrifices  all 
the  white  people  would  disappear  and  their  property  should 
be  (divided,  etc.  But  the  excited  tribes-folk  had  pictured  the 
shaking  off  of  the  German  sovereignty  as  a  far  easier  mat- 
ter than  in  reality.  Scarcely  had  the  battle  begun,  when  the 
leader  of  the  risinp^.  Chief  Kirota,  was  slain.  Such  confu- 
sion came  upon  the  ranks  of  his  followers,  that  they  gave 
up  all  further  resistance  and  fled  to  the  hills.  This  rising 
was  of  the  greater  moment  for  the  missionaries  since  Ki- 
rota had  been  friendly  disposed  and  the  battle  took  place  in 
the  vicinity  of  Ipyana.  The  very  neutrality  of  the  mission- 
aries served  to  cool  the  friendship  of  the  Bakonde.  They 
withstood  all  representations  and  held  to  the  idea  that  the 
missionaries  had  made  common  cause  with  the  officials  of 
the  colony.  The  attendance  at  the  services  in  all  three  sta- 
tions fell  away.     When  the  missionaries  undertook  a  tour 


78  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

through  the  villages,  the  people  sought  to  shun  them.  The 
old  familiar  intercourse  was  rudely  disturbed. 

Other  trials  followed  almost  simultaneously.  Through 
the  carelessness  of  the  employees  at  the  station  Rungwe,  a 
fire  broke  out  that  involved  the  loss  of  the  domestic  animals- 
and  of  considerable  stores  of  grain.  Hail-storms  and  a  plague 
of  locusts  ravaged  the  land.  Sickness  and  death  entered 
the  ranks.  The  climate  of  the  lowlands  and  in  particular 
of  Ipyana  disclosed  itself  as  most  unsuitable  for  Europeans. 
In  1896  the  missionary  Ledoux,  and  in  1897  and  1899  the 
wives  of  Haefner  and  Adolf  Stolz,  who  had  come  out  only 
in  1898,  fell  victims  to  fevers.  The  first  named  had  been 
in  the  land  scarcely  three  years  and  the  wives  of  his  col- 
leagues not  so  long  a  time.  These  frequent  deaths  would 
have  led  to  the  abandonment  of  the  station,  had  it  not  been 
for  its  value  as  an  entrepot  near  the  lake  and  had  not. the 
survivors  been  reluctant  to  abandon  the  dense  population  in 
its  vicinity.  But  steps  were  taken  to  insure  frequent  fur- 
loughs to  the  more  salubrious  mountains. 

Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  all  losses  and  drawbacks,  the 
mission  had  steadily  been  gaining  ground.  The  provisional 
houses  of  the  first  days  were  replaced  by  buildings  erected 
out  of  more  durable  materials,  the  missionaries  having 
taught  the  natives  how  to  form,  dry  and  burn  bricks.  For 
sanitary  reasons  the  new  houses  were  for  the  most  part 
built  in  two  stories.  For  provisions  the  stations  were  no 
longer  dependent  on  the  produce  of  the  people. 

A  firm  basis  having  been  established  in  Kondeland,  it 
soon  seemed  advisable  to  press  forward  towards  the  north 
and  northwest,  an  understanding  having  been  arrived  at 
with  the  Berlin  missionaries  and  the  government  having 
signified  its  consent.  A  special  incentive  came  into  play  in 
this  connection.  Already  in  the  early  days  of  the  mission 
among  the  Bakonde,  reports  came  of  a  powerful  "sultan" 
who  resided  a  number  of  days'  journey  to  the  north  of 
Rungwe.  This  mighty  chief,  Merere.  also  made  his  pro- 
pinquity apparent  in  a  most  unwelcome  manner.  He  under- 
took a   raid   through   the   land,   without,   however,   directly 


WIDENING  THE  BASE  OF  OPERATIONS.         79 

touching  the  mission-stations.  It  was,  therefore,  deter- 
mined to  beard  the  Hon  in  his  den.  The  first  to  come  into 
personal  touch  with  this  savage  chieftain  was  Superintend- 
ent Merensky.  of  the  Jlerlin  mission.  He  found  Merere's 
village,  Uteiigule,  that  is,  "Without  Care" — "Sanssouci" — 
lying  on  the  ])lateau  which  extends  from  the  highest  part  of 
Kondeland  towards  the  north  and  northwest.  Here  he  came 
to  know  one  of  the  largest  native  villages  in  German  East 
Africa.  From  his  intercourse  with  the  Arabs,  Merere  had 
appropriated  to  himself  the  proud  title  of  "sultan"  and  was 
an  African  despot  who  understood  to  rule  his  subjects 
through  the  power  of  fear  mingled  with  respect  and  to  fill 
his  neighbors  with  the  dread  of  his  name.  At  his  public 
audiences  a  stiff  ceremonial  prevailed.  On  such  occasions 
he  surrounded  himself  with  his  "great  men"  and  no  one 
was  permitted  to  address  him  directly.  What  a  stranger 
desired  to  say  to  the  "sultan"  had  to  be  conveyed  to  one  of 
the  "great  men"  who  in  his  turn  passed  it  on  to  his  neigh- 
bor, and  so  all  along  the  line,  till  it  reached  the  "chancellor," 
who  imparted  the  message  to  the  chief  himself.  Merensky's 
visit  was  only  a  ceremonial  interview,  intended  to  prevent 
hostile  relations  to  the  two  missions. 

In  the  spring  of  1895  the  missionaries  Richard  and  Kootz 
proceeded  to  Merere's  residence,  Utengule.  in  order  to  ne- 
gotiate for  land  on  which  a  mission  station  might  be  founded. 
The  government  officials  had  given  the  savage  chief  a  hint 
that  the  two  strangers  were  to  be  received  in  a  friendly 
manner,  and  this  no  doubt  contributed  to  lighten  their  task. 
The  stiff  ceremonial  of  the  dusky  court  was  rigidly  pre- 
served. After  the  purpose  of  the  missionaries  had  been  set 
forth  a  general  discussion  followed,  in  which  each  of  the 
"great  men"  participated  and  spoke  out  his  mind.  Finally 
Merere,  who  had  been  given  sufficient  time  to  reach  a  con- 
clusion, thanks  to  the  ceremonial  and  the  debate,  expressed 
himself  as  follows:  "My  councillors,  this  stranger,  our 
friend,  has  come  hither  in  order  to  settle  down  near  us,  to 
teach  us  and  our  children  and  to  make  us  acquainted  with 
the  Word  of  God.     ITc  asks  for  permission  to  build  here. 


80  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

Can  we  say  'No'  to  him,  since  the  great  lord  in  Langenburg, 
our  friend,  whose  people  we  are,  has  sent  him  to  us?  I 
think  not.  Rather  we  will  be  glad  that  it  is  so.  What  do 
you  say  to  this?"  Once  more  each  expressed  himself,  and 
afHrmatively.  Merere  then  turned  to  the  missionaries  and 
said:  "You  have  heard.  I  and  my  great  men  rejoice  that 
you  have  come.  The  land  is  yours.  Look  around  and  build 
where  you  will ;  it  is  all  yours."  And  then  turning  to  Rich- 
ard, "I  and  you  are  masters.    All  the  people  are  ours." 

The  site  chosen,  an  elevation  standing  free  by  itself  in 
front  of  the  village  on  the  high  plateau,  appeared  a  con- 
venient spot.  In  front  of  it  the  land  gradually  sank  to  the 
north.  The  view  swept  over  a  wide  and  in  great  part  bare, 
rocky,  sloping  surface.  The  streams  flowed  northwards,  the 
sources  of  the  Ruaha,  which  empties  into  the  Rufidji.  To 
the  northwest  the  streams  find  their  way  into  Lake  Rukwa. 
The  erection  of  the  first  provisional  houses  followed  very 
speedily.  But  although  the  missionaries  did  all  that  they 
could  with  a  good  conscience  to  preserve  the  favor  of  Me- 
rere, it  before  long  appeared  that  his  friendly  and  liberal 
speech  had  been  a  mere  form  and  that  he  had  been  moved 
by  other  than  disinterested  motives. 

Utengule  was  not  the  original  seat  of  Merere  and  his 
tribe.  That  lay  to  the  northeast  on  the  Ruaha,  whence  he 
had  been  driven  by  the  Wahehe  and  had  pushed  like  a  wedge 
into  the  lands  of  the  Basafwa.  Now  he  planned  a  campaign 
against  his  old  fees,  the  Wahehe,  and  desired  the  assistance 
of  the  missionaries  in  this  campaign  of  revenge  and  plunder. 
For  this  purpose  he  sent  for  Richard,  who  found  him  lying 
on  an  ox-skin  in  the  inner  court-yard  of  his  citadel,  warming 
himself  in  the  sun,  and  surrounded  by  a  number  of  his 
"great  men."  Richard  sought  to  make  clear  to  the  savage 
chief,  that  a  servant  of  God  and  a  messenger  of  peace  must 
hate  war,  especially  a  war  of  aggression,  which  was  meant 
to  promote  plundering  and  murder.  The  chief  himself,  if 
he  wanted  to  be  a  servant  of  God,  must  love  peace  and  spare 
the  lives  of  men.  But  this  was  far  from  being  in  accord 
with  Merere's  way  of  thinking.    On  the  contrary  he  spoke 


WIDENING   THE    BASE   OF   OPERATIONS.  81 

of  victory  and  revenge  on  his  foes.  "Victory?"  asked  Rich- 
ard. "Hew  do  you  know  that  you  will  be  the  victor?  You 
may  be  defeated  and  may  fall  in  the  fight.  If  that  takes 
place,  can  you  come  into  the  presence  of  God  and  be  re- 
garded as  one  who  has  done  His  will?"  These  words  the 
interpreter  was  unwilling  to  translate ;  he  feared  the  wrath 
of  Merere.  But  Richard  insisted  on  it,  and  he  did  so.  Me- 
rere  at  least  outwardly  controlled  his  anger  and  replied  that 
he  would  not  fall  but  would  conquer.  In  fact  he  demanded 
of  the  missionary  that  he  should  pray  for  his  success  and 
safe  return. 

From  this  hour  friendship  was  at  an  end  so  far  as  Merere 
was  concerned.  The  war  began.  But  its  outcome  was  a 
complete  defeat.  Only  a  speedy  flight  enabled  Merere  to 
throw  himself  into  Utergule  and  there  stand  on  the  de- 
fensive. Now  the  situation  of  the  missionaries  on  their  hill 
was  a  most  serious  one.  If  the  wild,  thievish  and  blood- 
thirsty Wahehe  pursued  Mehere  and  took  Utengule  by 
storm,  they  would  probably  mete  out  to  the  missionaries  a 
terrible  fate.  But  the  Brethren  remained  steadfast  at  their 
post  and  took  refuge  in  prayer.  And  the  unexpected  hap- 
pene:l.  The  Wahehe  did  not  pursue  Merere,  but  took  their 
way  to  the  south,  to  fall  upon  the  tribe  of  the  Wakinga, 
with  whom  they  also  had  a  long-standing  feud.  The  mis- 
sionaries were  safe,  God's  hand  being  over  them.  But  Me- 
rere's  hostility  was  deep  set. 

Their  request  for  permission  to  hold  services  in  his  vil- 
lage, he  denied  as  often  as  it  was  made.  At  every  new  re- 
quest he  found  a  new  pretext  which  made  it  impossible  to 
carry  out  the  purpose  of  the  missionaries.  At  length  in  a 
public  audience  Richard  sought  to  make  him  feel  that  he 
was  responsible  for  the  loss  that  would  accrue  to  nis  people. 
"God  demands  the  souls  of  your  subjects  from  you;  woe 
unto  you  if  you  refuse  to  give  them  to  Him."  The  "great 
men"  were  paralyzed  with  fear.  But  Merere  rose  and  left 
the  place  in  silence.  But  it  soon  appeared  that  the  mission 
station  was  tabooed  for  the  people.  No  one  came  near  it. 
No  one  brought  the  missionaries  food  for  sale ;  even  their 


82  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

medicine,  that  had  been  very  much  in  demand,  was  no 
longer  sought.  All  intercourse  was  cut  off.  The  old  mother 
of  the  chief,  a  poor  blind  old  woman,  who  suffered  much 
from  her  eyes  and  had  gratefully  received  the  visits  of  the 
missionaries,  no  longer  dared  to  send  for  their  salve  that 
had  eased  her  pains. 

Yet  another  attempt  of  Richard  to  reach  the  hard  heart 
of  Merere  proved  equally  vain.  He  would  indeed  not  admit 
that  he  prevented  the  intercourse  of  his  people  with  the 
missionaries,  but  laid  it  all  to  the  blame  of  the  field-work 
that  occupied  them.  But  he  closed  with  these  words :  "The 
great  lord  from  Langenburg  has  been  here  and  he  did  not 
speak  as  you  speak.  Arabs  and  other  whites  have  been 
here ;  no  one  speaks  like  you.  You  speak  of  God's  judg- 
ment and  of  death.  Amongst  us  it  is  considered  improper 
to  speak  so.  You  have  never  seen  God,  how  can  you  speak 
about  Him?  Among  us  we  call  such  persons  sorcerers  and 
liars.  And  such  an  one  are  you.  See  to  it  that  you  begone, 
and  go  back  to  the  place  whence  you  came."  These  words 
were  spoken  in  an  outburst  of  rage.  But  all  who  were 
present  assented  to  them.    The  missionary  was  dismissed. 

And  the  Arabs,  Mohammedans,  who  hatl  homes  in  the 
village,  saw  to  it  that  the  anger  of  Merere  did  not  die  down. 
For  they  soon  recognized  in  the  missionaries  their  natural 
foes.  Indeed  for  years  after  they  manifested  unyielding 
opposition.  Once  when  the  missionaries  expressed  the  wish 
to  purchase  a  piece  of  land  in  order  to  extend  the  small  patch 
which  they  had  begun  to  cultivate,  it  was  in  vain.  The 
Arab,  who  owned  this  neighboring  plot  of  land,  would  part 
with  it  for  no  sum  of  money.  In  fact,  it  was  reported  to 
the  missionaries,  that  he  had  a  loaded  gun  at  hand  in  readi- 
ness to  shoot  them  if  no  other  means  succeeded  in  prevent- 
ing the  sale. 

It  was  therefore  not  possible  to  reach  Merere  and  his  peo- 
ple, the  Sango  tribe.  Therefore  the  missionaries  turned 
their  attention  to  the  original  people  of  the  region,  the  Ba- 
safwa,  who  lived  scattered  here  and  there,  half  in  hiding. 
Some  of  the  Basafwa  were  willing  to  work  for  the  whites. 


WIDENING    THE    BASE    OK    OPERATIONS.  83 

They  even  brought  lumljcr  from  distant  ravines.  They  were 
willing  to  learn  the  art  of  brick-making.  With  these  new 
work-people  morning  prayers  were  held  daily.  On  Sunday 
they  were  assembled  for  services.  About  a  year  after  the 
founding  of  Utengule  Richard  paid  a  visit  to  Germany  and 
Kootz  was  left  in  Utengule  alone  with  his  wife.  Relations 
with  Merere  were  by  this  time  slightly  better,  but  he  still 
remained  hostile  to  the  Gospel.  A  small  chapel  was  erected 
beside  the  mission  house.  On  Sunday  a  flag  waved  over 
it  as  a  sign  that  service  would  be  held,  and  this  signal  was 
not  in  vain.  Every  Sunday  the  missionary  saw  new  faces. 
Gradually  Sango  people  also  came.  The  "great  men"  of 
the  village  were  still  absent,  and  for  the  most  part  the  con- 
gregation was  composed  of  the  shy  Basafwas  and  of  Ban- 
yika,  who  had  also  been  attracted  by  the  possibility  of  earn- 
ing wages.  By  Sunday  Exaudi,  1896,  the  little  chapel  was 
crowded.  At  last  the  ban  had  been  broken  after  so  trying 
a  period  of  waiting.  Christian  charity  had  won  the  day. 
The  barriers  of  suspicion  and  reserve  and  smothered  hate 
had  been  broken  by  carrying  into  practice  the  teaching  of 
the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan  over  against  a  very  piti- 
fully afflicted  Safwa  man.  One  Sunday  a  boy  had  appeared 
and  begged  that  the  missionaries  would  come  to  his  father, 
who  lay  in  misery  from  a  bad  wound  in  the  leg.  Richard 
had  returned  with  him  to  his  home  in  response.  The  village 
to  which  he  had  been  led  was  distant  from  the  station  two 
and  a  half  hours'  steady  walking.  The  wound  was  such 
that  it  would  need  daily  care.  So  the  proposal  had  been 
made,  that  the  man  permit  himself  to  be  carried  to  the  sta- 
tion. It  took  six  strong  men  to  accomplish  this,  and  for 
their  services  they  had  required  pay.  But  the  man  had  been 
established  in  a  hut  on  the  land  of  the  station,  where  his 
wife  helped  to  nurse  him.  This  manifestation  of  Christian 
charity,  as  the  man  gradually  recovered,  thanks  to  intelligent 
care,  had  broken  down  the  barriers. 

Now  progress  began  to  be  made,  even  if  at  first  slowly. 
A  school  was  opened  in  which  some  lads  of  the  vicinity  and 
the  workmen  from  a  distance  were  instructed.     Out  of  the 


84  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

ranks  of  these  came  the  first  applicants  for  baptism.  When 
in  March,  1897,  the  news  came  from  Rungwe,  that  the  first 
baptisms  had  taken  place  there,  it  stirred  the  young  people. 
Two  young  men  begged  the  missionary:  "Instruct  us;  we 
want  to  follow  Jesus."  They  were  known  to  be  earnest,  dili- 
gent young  men.  They  stuck  to  their  desire.  After  thor- 
ough instruction  it  could  be  fulfilled  in  June.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  the  first  bell  had  been  received  at  the  station,  and 
therefore  it  was  determined  to  combine  the  consecration  of 
the  bell  with  the  baptism  of  these  two  candidates.  After 
the  bell  in  tones  never  heard  here  thus  far  had  sounded  out 
an  invitation  over  the  village  and  over  the  whole  land, 
Ndumati  and  Kubeta  received  the  sacrament,  and  with  it 
their  new  names,  which  they  had  chosen  for  themselves : 
"Guamsakuire,"  that  is  "He  has  sought  me,"  and  "Guamy- 
annehira,"  that  is  "He  has  received  me." 

The  tension  between  the  mission  and  the  village,  which 
had  begun  to  lessen  in  the  course  of  years,  was  finally  re- 
lieved in  a  peculiar  manner.  Merere,  who  in  time  had  be- 
gun to  become  half-way  friendly,  removed  his  residence 
from  Utergule  to  Iringa,  the  chief  town  of  the  Wahehe,  at 
the  request  of  Hauptmann  Prince.  After  the  proud  Wahehe 
had  been  compelled  to  submit  to  the  power  of  the  German 
arm,  their  conqueror  considered  it  advisable  to  humiliate 
them  and  place  over  them  a  number  of  chiefs  whom  he  him- 
self selected.  To  this  end  he  recalled  Merere,  who  had  for- 
merly been  driven  out  of  this  district.  By  tempting  presents 
he  was  induced  to  remove  to  Iringa,  and  there  nominally 
have  sway  over  an  extensive  territory,  but  in  reality  to  en- 
joy a  shadowy  rule  as  a  vassal  of  the  colonial  government. 
On  May  13,  1897,  he  made  his  exodus  from  Utengule  and 
took  his  subjects  with  him.  His  former  capital  soon  fell 
into  a  heap  of  plundered  and  deserted  ruins.  For  the  mis- 
sion this  was  no  great  loss.  As  a  whole  the  Sargo  tribe 
had  been  inaccessible  to  the  Gospel.  The  hitherto  oppressed 
Basafwa  new  felt  themselves  free,  and  nothing  hindered 
them  from  giving  an  attentive  ear  to  the  missionaries.  To 
help  them  forward  economically  a  carpentershop  and  a  shoe- 


WIDENING    THE    ISASK    OF    OPERATIONS.  85 

makershop  were  established  on  tlie  land  of  the  mission.  The 
founding  of  these  branches  of  industry  soon  proved  to 
be  a  wise  step.  The  shoemaking  establishment  in  time 
not  only  began  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  missionaries  but 
also  to  furnish  foot-wear  for  the  "Askaris,"  the  native  sol- 
diers at  Langenburg. 

Even  before  the  situation  in  Utengulc  had  been  relieved 
in  this  manner,  plans  were  laid  for  the  occupation  of  Bun- 
dali  and  Nyika,  the  two  adjacent  regions  to  the  northwest. 
As  in  Utengule,  so  also  in  the  stations  in  Kondeland  a  num- 
ber of  tribes  were  represented  among  the  work-people  who 
had  been  employed  in  the  erection  of  the  permanent  houses. 
In   Rutenganio,   for  example,   the  majority  were  Banyika. 
As  they  were  one  after  another  baptized  the  relations  of  the 
mission  to  the  neighboring  districts  increased  and  the  mis- 
sionaries entertained  the  hope  of  bringing  the  Gospel  thither 
also.    With  this  end  in  view,  after  correspondence  with  the 
Mission  Board,  Meyer  undertook  an  extensive  tour  of  ex- 
ploration through  the  land  adjacent  to  the  German-British 
boundary  in  the  direction  of  Lake  Tanganyika.     A  small 
company  of  Christian  natives  accompanied  him,  with  whom 
he  made  the  best  of  experiences.    Their  companionship  was 
especially  valuable,  because  they  had  many  relatives  in  the 
districts  which  it  was  now  desired  to  occupy.     On  the  part 
of  the  chiefs  everywhere  he  received  a  warm  welcome.     It 
would  have  been  an  easy  task  to  select  sites  for  eight  sta- 
tions.    But  for  the  present  only  two  could  be  manned.    The 
one  lay  in  the  territory  of  Chief  Mwakasinka,  in  Bundali. 
most  picturesquely  situated  at  a  height  of  more  than  4200 
feet  above  sea-level,  and  promising,  therefore,  to  be  all  that 
could  be  desired  in  respect  of  healthfulness.     It  was  high 
time  that  the  mission  secured  a  firm  footing  here ;  for  the 
natural  hne  of  communication  between  Lakes   Nyasa  and 
Tanganyika,  so  far  as  German  territory  is  concerned,  lies 
through  this  district,  and  its  fertility  appeared  sure  to  at- 
tract colonists,   especially  if  facts  should  substantiate  the 
truth  of  the  rumor  that  coal  was  to  be  found  here. 
7 


86  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

The  second  site  lay  in  the  less  naturally  attractive  Nyika- 
land,  in  the  direction  of  Lake  Rukwa.  Though  not  so  fer- 
tile as  the  mountain  slopes  leading  down  to  the  Songwe,  it 
also  held  out  attractive  possibilities,  especially  in  view  of 
the  willingness  of  the  fairly  populous  villages  to  welcome 
missionaries.  Mbosi  on  the  Nkana  was  selected  and  the  ne- 
cessary arrangements  were  made  with  Chief  jVIasenga,  in 
order  to  accjuire  sufficient  land.  Here  the  speech  of  Konde- 
land  no  longer  sei-ved.  It  would  be  needful  for  future  mis- 
sionaries to  raise  the  Kinyika  to  the  dignity  of  a  written  lan- 
guage. Intercourse  with  Banyika  laborers  at  Utengule  and 
Rutenganio  had.  however,  already  given  the  missionaries 
some  acquaintance  with  the  new  speech. 

With  the  commencement  of  these  new  posts  in  Bundali 
and  Nyika  in  the  year  1899  thousands  of  additional  natives 
were  brought  within  the  sound  of  the  Gospel. 


METHODS   OF    WORK.  87 

CHAPTER  X. 

METHODS  OF  WORK. 

Successful  missionary  work  requires  a  very  many-sided 
endowment  of  the  worker.  To  achieve  real  success  he  must 
himself  have  first  of  all  experienced  saving  grace.  He  must 
know  the  Redeemer  in  Whom  he  believes  and  on  Whose 
sacrifice  he  rests,  experience  having  confirmed  for  him  the 
truth  of  Holy  Scripture,  that  there  is  no  other  name  under 
heaven  given  among  men  whereby  men  may  be  saved ;  but 
that  the  Son  of  God  does  save  both  now  and  hereafter. 
For  without  positive  and  living  convictions,  and  unless  he 
can  really  use  God's  Word,  the  missionary  will  soon  be- 
come disheartened  as  a  mere  promoter  of  civilization  and 
culture. 

But  he  also  needs  the  gift  of  discernment  in  the  knowledge 
of  men  and  the  gift  of  leadership  of  men.  The  missionary 
to-day  is  preeminently  a  leader  of  companions  in  labor  for 
Christ,  won  from  among  the  native  converts.  He  must 
know  how  to  call  forth  the  latent  talents  of  these  evan- 
gelists and  other  workers,  how  to  inform  and  direct  them 
as  the  most  eflfective  agents  among  their  fellow-countrymen. 
Other  things  being  equal,  he  is  the  most  successful  mission- 
ary, who  rather  than  attempt  to  do  the  work  of  a  dozen 
men  himself,  can  set  a  dozen  men  to  work  and  judiciously 
supervise  them.  He  will  exercise  a  far  more  efficacious  in- 
fluence over  the  people  than  if  he  consumed  himself  in  the 
endeavor  to  be  the  sole  and  direct  herald  to  all  those  who 
live  within  the  radius  of  a  given  distance  from  his  station. 

Furthermore,  whilst  the  first  aim  sought  by  himself  and 
his  native  auxiliaries  is  to  bring  men  to  a  personal  knowledge 
of  our  Saviour,  in  as  much  as  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel 
working  from  within  inevitably  afTects  all  the  relationships 
of  life,  the  missionary  needs  to  be  a  man  of  wide  informa- 
tion respecting  all  manner  of  matters.  He  must  have  a 
sound  apprehension  of  the  ethical  bearings  of  the  Gospel. 
He  needs  to  discriminate  between  the  merely  national  and 
the  essentially  heathen  in  the  customs  of  the  land  where  he 


88  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

serves.  If  it  is  comparatively  easy  to  prevent  the  people 
from  falsely  identifying  a  mere  imitation  of  European  dress 
and  usages  with  the  essential  requirements  of  the  faith,  it 
is  more  difficult  to  conserve  what  is  innocent  in  tribal  cus- 
toms by  infusing  into  them  the  spirit  of  what  is  essentially 
Christian.  Perhaps  it  may  be  required  of  him  to  inaugurate 
or  at  least  develop  a  school-system  for  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion. He  will  certainly  exercise  a  formative  influence  on 
its  social,  economic  and  business  life,  if  under  him  the  peo- 
ple pass  from  barbarism  to  a  degree  of  culture.  He  will 
assist  in  solving  sanitary  problems.  Works  of  mercy  on  a 
large  scale  in  times  of  famine  or  epidemic  must  be  inau- 
gurated and  administered  by  him.  In  short,  there  is  scarce- 
ly an  aspect  of  the  ever  advancing  well-being  of  the  people, 
with  which  he  will  not  be  in  some  degree  identified. 

But  in  order  that  he  and  his  successors  may  permanently 
exercise  this  manifold  influence  for  good,  he  must  found 
for  himself  a  permanent  home  in  the  midst  of  the  people. 
Hence  the  need  for  the  mission-station  in  the  wilderness, 
especially  in  such  a  land  as  German  East  Africa  where  con- 
ditions of  the  pre-historic  age  still  existed  at  the  time  of  the 
missionaries'  arrival. 

The  site  for  the  station  having  been  selected  and  acquired 
by  purchase  from  the  chief  claiming  ownership,  and  the 
purchase  confirmed  by  the  colonial  authorities,  immediate 
needs  are  met  by  the  hasty  erection  of  a  bamboo  hut  with 
palm-leaf  or  thatched  roof  in  African  style.  Some  protec- 
tion must  forthwith  be  obtained  against  the  glare  of  the 
sun  and  the  drenching  tropical  rains,  no  less  than  against 
prowling  lions  and  inferior  beasts  of  prey.  Paths  must  be 
cleared  to  the  village  of  the  chief  or  other  neighbors  and 
to  the  stream  whence  water  is  to  be  obtained.  Later  wells 
must  be  dug  or,  as  at  Rutenganio  and  Mbozi,  primitive 
water-works  erected  and  piping  laid  to  bring  the  water  to 
the  mission-house.  Sometimes  the  erection  of  more  perma- 
nent dwellings  is  attended  with  peculiar  difficulties,  as  in 
the  case  of  Mbozi,  where  clay  suitable  for  bricks  was  lack- 
ing.    Here  the  bricks  cracked,  whilst  they  were  being  dried 


METHODS   OF   WORK.  89 

in  the  sun,  and  the  grass  of  the  vicinity  was  found  to  be  a 
very  perishable  material,  quite  unsuitable  for  thatching  the 
roof.  Hence  the  houses  had  to  be  built  of  wood,  in  spite 
of  the  knowledge  that  ants  and  borers  would  speedily  do 
destructive  work.  Indeed  in  every  case  only  experience 
could  teach  just  what  sort  of  indigenous  timber  best  resist- 
ed the  attacks  of  insect  pests. 

When  once  established  the  Christian  family  life  of  the 
missionary  home  in  German  East  Africa,  as  everywhere  in 
heathendom,  became  a  powerful  auxiliary  to  the  preaching 
of  the  Word.  The  steady  force  of  example  set  forth  how 
family-life  should  be  sanctified  through  the  influence  of 
vital  faith  and  by  loving  obedience  to  God's  commands. 

Whatever  theories  the  missionaries  and  the  home  board 
might  entertain  as  to  the  respective  advantages- and  disad- 
vantages of  a  policy  of  concentration  or  that  of  decentral- 
ization, however  much  it  might  be  sought  to  avoid  the  sys- 
tem illustrated  by  the  so-called  "grant  stations"  of  the  South 
African  missions  of  the  Moravian  Church,  there  rendered 
necessary  by  the  former  governmental  policy  of  grouping 
as  many  of  the  natives  as  possible  in  "reserves,"  in  Nyasa- 
land  it  was  soon  found  inevitable  that  native  villages  of 
greater  or  smaller  extent  sprang  up  about  or  on  the  land 
purchased  by  the  mission.  The  mission-station  became  the 
place  where  many  found  their  sole  opportunity  of  earning 
what  would  supply  the  needs  that  were  newly  arising  in 
their  lives.  Here  in  return  for  labor  muslins  and  other 
prints  might  be  had.  Here  improved  hoes  and  cooking  uten- 
sils and  other  desirable  supplies  were  to  be  acquired.  So 
huts  sprang  up  like  mushrooms  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. Each  mission  home  became  a  focus  whence  the 
knowledge  of  effective  forms  of  labor  began  to  radiate ; 
indeed  the  beginnings  of  skilled  labor  in  the  land  were 
marked  by  the  erection  of  these  mission  villages.  Eor  by 
degrees  the  more  steady  and  skillful  men  were  intrusted 
with  the  more  important  tasks,  as  overseers  in  connection 
with  the  unskilled  lalxir  of  the  manv.  as  sawvers  in  the  saw- 
pits,   as  carpenters  in   the   wood-working  shop,   as  masons 


90  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

and  brick-layers.  Hundreds  of  natives  began  to  accustom 
themselves  to  steady  industry. 

On  Sunday  all  this  busy  activity  rests.  Need  for  a  prim- 
itive house,  at  once  church  and  school,  has  been  early  met. 
From  the  African  standpoint  it  appears  a  matter  of  course 
that  those  who  have  engaged  themselves  to  the  missionaries 
for  steady  wages  should  feel  under  obligation  to  respond 
to  the  invitation  to  morning  prayers  during  the  week  and 
to  the  worship  on  the  Lord's  Day.  Many  are  indeed  but 
superficial  hearers,  coming  only  from  politeness  and  good 
form's  sake.  Others  individually  soon  acquire  an  inner  de- 
sire to  learn  more  about  the  truth  of  God.  These  are 
strengthened  in  their  sense  of  identity  with  the  missionaries 
by  the  removal  to  the  station  on  the  part  of  those  who  have 
accepted  the  message  in  heathen  villages,  and  who  come  be- 
cause they  realize  that  they  must  live  near  the  missionaries 
for  further  instruction  and  because  they  have  broken  with 
their  past.  The  fellowship  of  like-minded  is  essential  for 
them,  if  they  are  to  successfully  resist  the  temptations  in- 
herent in  the  superstitious  usages  still  observed  by  their 
heathen  relatives. 

Furthermore  the  home  of  the  missionaries  attracts  the 
natives  as  an  educational  center.  In  order  that  he  himself 
may  master  their  language  as  the  medium  through  which 
he  shall  bring  them  the  Gospel,  the  missionary  in  his  efifort 
to  commit  it  to  writing  must  work  hand  in  hand  with  the 
more  intelligent  of  the  people  and  initiate  them  into  the  arts 
of  writing  and  reading.  The  two  go  hand  in  hand  in  the 
process  of  conquering  an  unmastered  speech.  Adults  rather 
than  children  constitute  the  first  scholars  in  the  incipient 
schools,  and  in  connection  wnth  the  hours  for  instruction 
regard  must  be  paid  to  the  field-work  to  be  done  by  the  men 
for  their  own  support.  With  this  the  school  for  adults  may 
not  interfere. 

In  the  course  of  time,  as  experience  is  won,  a  minutely 
worked  out  program  for  the  year  and  month  and  week  and 
day  guides  the  missionary.  He  has  his  hours  for  Bible 
study,  for  preparation  for  public  services,  for  the  work  of 


METHODS   OF    WORK.  ^U 

translation  and  other  literary  labor;  for  the  instruction  of 
the  various  groups  of  people,  native  evangelists,  baptized 
Christians,  candidates  for  baptism,  and  heathen.  Schools 
have  been  established  for  children  and  others  of  a  higher 
grade  for  the  more  advanced  pupils.  Primers  have  been 
printed  and  the  Gospels  and  other  ])ortions  of  the  Scriptures 
translated  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  scholars.  The 
more  gifted  pupils  are  employed  as  assistant  instructors. 
It  is  remarkable  what  rapid  progress  is  made.  Six  years 
after  the  founding  of  Mbozi  Bishop  ITennig  at  the  time  of 
his  official  visit  in  V)05  can  write:  "The  school  has  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  names  enrt)lleil ;  there  were  one  hundred 
and  ten  pupils  in  attendance  when  I  inspected  the  work. 
Instruction  is  given  in  Biblical  history  to  the  children  and 
candidates  for  baptism.  This  lasts  half  an  hour  and  is  fol- 
lowed by  lessons  in  reading  and  writing.  The  latter  is  at- 
tended' by  old  and  young,  men,  women  and  children,  who 
are  grouped  in  seven  divisions  according  to  their  proficiency. 
The  afternoon  is  devoted  to  outdoor  work.  Three  classes 
occupy  rooms  in  one  of  the  old  mission-houses,  the  rest 
gather  under  the  trees.  Books,  slate  and  pencil  are  the 
property  of  the  scholar ;  this  speaks  well  for  their  interest 
in  their  studies,  for  school  materials  are  very  expensive, 
since  most  of  them  must  be  obtained  from  Europe.  The 
examinations  were  very  satisfactory.  About  forty  are  able 
to  read  the  Gospel  according  to  Matthew,  the  only  part  of 
the  Xew  Testament  which  has  so  far  been  published  in 
Kinyika.  The  Banyika  are  undoubtedly  a  talented  people. 
In  the  upper  class  we  found  a  boy  of  eleven  years  sitting 
among  men.  He  began  to  attend  school  early  this  year  and 
can  now  read  quite  well.  Among  the  compositions  was  one 
on  l-'ield-work,  which  Brother  Bachmann  translated  for  me. 
'Vhv  preparation  and  cultivation  of  the  ground  were  lucidly 
explained,  as  also  the  system  of  dividing  the  work  among 
the  men  and  women." 

Cooperation  with  the  missionaries  in  connection  with  the 
work  of  translation  affords  excellent  intellectual  exercise 
for  the  ("liristians.     ITe  who  entered  the  church  at  Uten- 


92  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

gule  on  a  certain  day  in  the  middle  of  the  year  1910  might 
have  thought  himself  in  a  school ;  for  there  before  a  large 
black-board  stood  the  missionary,  Kootz,  with  his  people 
grouped  in  front  of  him.  On  that  black-board  he  had  writ- 
ten his  translation  of  a  hymn  into  the  Kisafwa,  and  the 
people  were  now  busy  reading  it  aloud.  But  on  the  second 
reading  they  came  to  a  sudden  pause.  In  reply  to  his  ques- 
tion:  "Why  don't  you  go  on?"  there  came  the  reply:  "Be- 
cause our  mouth  refuses  to  say  something  that  is  written 
there."  Ah,  here  something  is  at  fault  in  the  translation. 
The  mistake  must  be  removed.  Now  begins  eager  debate, 
as  to  what  may  be  the  correct  expression.  At  times  the  dis- 
putants wax  quite  hot.  But  that  only  testifies  to  their  zeal. 
The  work  of  amendment  is  persisted  in  until  at  last  all  say : 
"Now  we  understand  it."  By  such  a  process  a  small  hymnal 
of  thirty-nine  Kisafwa  hymns  has  arisen.  Copied  out  by 
the  Christians,  this  hymnal,  which  also  contains  the  litany 
for  Sunday  morning  and  litanies  for  baptism,  is  now  in 
regular  use  at  this  station  and  its  filials. 

Gradually  the  village  that  has  arisen  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
missionaries'  home  assumes  more  and  more  distinctively 
the  characteristics  of  a  Christian  village.  The  monogamous 
marriage  renders  Christian  family  life  possible.  By  degrees 
various  customs  of  the  past  are  sloughed  ofif  and  disappear 
as  incompatible  with  the  new  faith,  though  the  missionaries 
steadily  avoid  the  tendency  merely  to  Europeanize  their 
converts.  Yet  with  the  entrance  of  culture  into  the  life  of 
a  primitive  people  it  is  inevitable  that  much  must  change, 
even  in  connection  with  the  furnishing  and  structure  of  their 
homes.  The  pen  and  the  book  demand  a  table  and  chairs 
or  their  substitute;  nor  dare  the  hut  any  longer  remain  with- 
out light  save  that  which  streams  in  through  the  open  door, 
a  window  must  be  contrived. 

Sunday  observance  is  early  introduced,  and  the  passage 
of  the  year  is  marked  by  the  observance  of  the  chief  of  tne 
Christian  festivals.  Advent,  Christmas,  the  Holy  Week, 
Easter,  Pentecost.  Perhaps  on  their  own  initiative,  or  in 
consequence  of  a  mere  hint  of  the  missionary,  the  Harvest 


METHODS   OF   WOflK.  93 

Festival  becomes  an  annual  institution.  Marriage  is  cele- 
brated in  Christian  fashion.  The  obligation  to  support  the 
spread  of  the  Gospel  finds  acceptance.  Church  contribu- 
tions begin  to  be  brought  and  fees  are  paid  for  the  education 
of  the  children.  Attendance  at  the  school  becomes  obliga- 
tory for  the  children  of  Christians  and  for  those  whose 
parents  reside  on  the  land  of  the  station.  In  the  colony  at 
Jarge  compulsory  education  is  not  yet  ordered  by  law. 

Of  peculiar  importance  for  the  furtherance  of  the  con- 
verts in  personal  experience  and  experimental  Christian 
"knowledge  is  the  detailed  private  conversation  which  the 
missionaries  have  with  the  communicants  prior  to  each 
■celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion.  Alany  a  time  such 
an  occasion  becomes  one  of  special  joy,  as  the  deepening 
understanding  of  the  Christians  comes  to  light.  Much  self- 
mistrust  and  childlike  simplicity  of  faith  is  met  with,  though 
■secret  sins  are  also  disclosed.  Often  this  opportunity  for 
<:lose  examination  into  the  spiritual  state  of  the  incipient 
■congregation  is  a  time  of  blessing  for  the  missionary  him- 
self. His  sense  of  personal  responsibility  is  deepened,  as 
lie  perceives  the  confidence  reposed  by  the  people  in  the  in- 
sight and  Christian  maturity  of  their  teachers. 

Prior  to  Easter,  1899,  for  example,  Niganile  of  Rungwe 
■was  one  of  three  members  who  expressed  no  desire  to  come 
to  the  Lord's  table.  When  Meyer  sent  for  him  and  asked 
him  why  he  had  not  announced  himself,  he  replied,  "Of  late 
I  have  been  thinking,  whether  I  had  committed  some  un- 
known sin.  My  leg  will  not  heal  properly  and  constantly 
pains  me.  And  as  I  got  no  rest  about  it  in  my  mind.  I 
thought  I  ought  not  to  go  to  the  Holy  Communion."  "Do 
you  murmur  against  (iod,  because  your  leg  will  not  heal? 
Are  you  angry  with  God?"  "No.  I  do  not  do  that,  but  I 
"have  my  thoughts  as  to  why  it  will  not  heal  up."  "Then 
you  are  really  looking  for  sin  in  your  heart?"  "Yes,  that 
is  so."  "And  are  you  looking  for  it  prayerfully,  as  in  the 
sight  of  God?"  "Yes,  I  ask  Him  to  enlighten  me."  "Are 
you  not  conscious  of  any  sin?"  "No,  but  perhaps  there  is 
some  sin  after  all.     I  cannot  tell."     "Then  the  Lord  has  not 


94  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

made  it  known  to  you?"  "No."  ''Well,  then,  let  me  tell 
you  something.  Our  chieftain  to-day  sends  forth  the  fol- 
lowing message,  'My  Supper  is  prepared;  come,  for  all 
things  are  ready.'  What  are  the  people  to  come  and  do?"^ 
"They  are  to  come  and  eat."  "And  when  they  have  eaten^ 
what  then?"  "They  will  be  satisfied."  "And  what  will  they 
obtain?"  "Strength."  "And?"  "New  Hfe."  "Yes,  and 
all  that  is  His.  What  more  will  He  give  us?"  "Wisdom,, 
righteousness,  light  and  insight."  "Yes,"  said  Meyer,  final- 
ly, "He  will  give  you  light.  Well  then,  Niganile,  you  are 
unable  of  your  own  self  to  see  whether  or  not  you  have 
committed  a  certain  sin;  you  need  light  and  Jesus  offers  ta 
give  you  light.  Now,  since  Jesus  invites  you  to  come,  and 
says,  'Come  and  eat,  enter  into  special  communion  with  me,, 
and  receive  strength  and  light,'  dare  you  say,  'No,  I  can  not,, 
for  I  do  not  know  whether  or  no  I  have  committed  a  cer- 
tain sin ;  I  have  no  insight  in  this  matter,  I  must  wait  until 
I  get  the  necessary  enlightenment?'  Go  home  and  con- 
sider what  answer  you  will  give  your  Lord."  The  same 
evening  and  the  following  Niganile  returned  to  Meyer  and 
said  he  believed  the  things  were  as  had  been  told  him.  viz.,. 
his  leg  trouble,  which  had  first  brought  him  to  Jesus,  was. 
intended  to  continue  as  a  reminder  that  he  was  subject  to> 
death,  and  also  as  a  constant  reminder  of  Jesus.  He  wa.s. 
now  quite  prepared  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

Evangelical  missions  the  world  over  seek  to  place  the 
Word  of  God  in  the  hands  of  the  people  as  soon  as  possible. 
In  Nyasaland  it  is  hoped  that  the  various  dialects  in  local 
use  may  be  reduced  in  number  to  four  for  purposes  of 
church  and  school.  The  Kinyakusa  speech  of  Konde  has 
been  raised  to  a  written  language  especially  through  the 
work  of  the  Berlin  missionaries  Schumann  and  Nauhaus, 
who  prepared  a  grammar  of  it  and  devoted  much  time  to- 
literary  labors,  so  that  already  in  1899  the  first  three  Gos- 
pels. Stories  from  the  Old  Testament  and  some  of  the- 
Psalms  were  ]niblished  in  the  Kinyakusa  tongue.  The 
Hymn-book  for  the  Konde  country  that  was  printed  in  1905 
owed  its  origin  to'  missionaries  of  both  the  societies.     Pro- 


METHODS   OF   WORK.  95 

fessor  Meinhof,  then  of  the  Oriental  Seminary  of  IJcrHn  and 
now  of  the  Colonial  Institute  in  Hamburg,  and  Haefner,  of 
the  Moravian  Mission,  produced  one  of  the  three  primers 
now  in  use.  The  former  director  of  the  training-school  at 
Rungwe.  Klautzsch,  who  was  compelled  by  ill  health  to 
leave  the  field,  in  1906,  continued  to  serve  the  mission  after 
his  return  by  co-work  in  the  revision  of  the  translation  of 
the  Xew  Testament  originally  made  by  Xauhaus.  This  re- 
vised version  was  printed  by  the  Bible  Society  of  Prussia 
in  1908.  Traugott  Bachmann  prepared  for  the  Xyika  dis- 
trict a  Primer  and  a  Translation  of  the  Gospel  according 
to  Matthew,  which  have  been  printed,  and  the  translation 
of  the  Gospels  according  to  Mark  and  Luke,  as  well  as  other 
portions  of  various  books  of  the  Xew  Testament.  The  lat- 
ter as  well  as  a  hymn-book  containing  50  hymns  and  also 
various  liturgies  for  baptism  and  for  Easter,  as  well  as  a 
catechism,  await  publication.  Similarly  a  mass  of  kindred 
literary  material  already  exists  in  the  other  dialects  includ- 
ing that  of  Kondeland. 

Such  literary  products  possessed  a  special  value  for  the 
training  and  preparation  of  the  native  evangelists,  who  al- 
ready at  an  early  stage  of  the  mission  began  to  lend  import- 
ant aid  in  spreading  the  message  of  the  missionaries.  If  it 
indicated  a  step  in  advance,  when  the  people  apprehended, 
that  it  was  not  needful  to  live  near  the  missionaries,  in  order 
to  become  a  Christian,  still  more  so  was  this  the  case,  when 
the  obligation  came  to  be  realized,  that  each  and  every 
Christian  must  pass  on  to  others  his  knowledge  of  the  way 
of  life.  Native  Christians  first  of  all  accompanied  the  mis- 
sionary on  his  preaching  tours,  to  translate  for  him  when 
necessary,  and  to  add  a  word  of  independent  testimony  for 
Christ  as  personal  knowledge  and  experience  deepened.  By 
degrees  the  more  competent  could  be  assigned  to  serve  a 
circuit  independently,  the  rule  being  invariably  that  they 
should  go  two  by  two  for  mutual  support.  In  a  land  where 
each  European  missionary  is  responsible  for  bringing  the 
Gospel  to  many  thousands,  and  in  particular  under  climatic 
conditions  like  those  of  ecjuatorial   Africa,  it   soon   l)ccanic 


96  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

evident,  that  if  Nyasaland  is  to  be  won  for  Christ  no  small 
part  in  the  conquest  must  be  taken  by  the  Africans  them- 
selves. Gradually  this  form  of  agency  assumed  more  and 
more  system.  Tours  were  undertaken  according  to  definite 
plans.  Hopeful  points  received  stated  visits.  Native  chiefs 
were  induced  to  erect  bamboo  huts  at  these  centers  for  the 
purpose  of  school  and  worship.  A  training-school  was  es- 
tablished at  Rungwe  in  1903,  where  promising  evangelists 
were  prepared  for  both  educational  and  evangelistic  work. 
In  time  out-stations  thus  arose,  where  approved  assistants 
could  be  permanently  stationed.  Meanwhile  the  evangelistic 
tours  were  prosecuted  with  more  and  more  system  under 
the  control  of  the  missionaries.  In  proportion  as  this  work 
called  the  men  employed  away  from  their  homes  and  ren- 
dered it  impossible  for  them  to  provide  for  their  families 
in  the  former  manner,  fixed  allowances  were  paid  them. 
Regular  seasons  and  courses  of  instruction  were  planned. 
It  was  required  that  the  evangelists  enter  their  experiences 
in  their  diaries  and  make  periodic  reports  to  the  missionary 
that  he  might  the  better  direct  and  control  their  activity. 
For  the  most  part  they  are  young  men.  In  Nyasaland  com- 
paratively few  converts  have  been  won  of  an  age  beyond 
thirty  years.  The  old  men  find  it  difficult  to  break  with  the 
cult  of  their  ancestors,  whom  they  expect  to  join  in  the 
spirit-world.  It  is  of  interest  to  listen  to  certain  of  the  evan- 
gelists, as  they  render  an  account  to  Bachmann,  after  a  tour 
or  two. 

Ukasime  conducts  weekly  services  and  holds  school  in 
two  villages,  new  centers,  where  work  was  commenced  only 
eight  months  ago.  He  can  not  report  a  longing  for  God's 
word.  The  chief  holds  aloof ;  but  a  number  of  people  at- 
tend. One  old  woman  wept  for  joy  at  hearing  the  tidings 
of  salvation.  He  has  fifty  scholars,  of  whom  thirty  attend 
regularly.  Waluseshelo  reports  sixty  scholars  at  his  out- 
post. Many  attend  his  services,  but  only  seven  or  eight 
seem  to  be  in  earnest.  At  another  of  his  posts  thirty  come 
to  school.  At  his  own  home,  Umpela,  there  is  zeal  to  learn 
the  Word.     Six  are  being  instructed  for  baptism.     A  num- 


METHODS   OF   WORK.  97 

ber  of  his  pupils  can  now  write  as  well  as  he.  Wavwila 
tells  of  difficulties  at  his  home,  Isulalu.  \'ery  many  come 
on  Sunday  and  are  attentive,  but  do  not  carry  out  what  they 
hear.  Most  of  his  eighty  scholars  arc  regular,  and  many 
equal  his  own  attainments  in  the  art  of  writing.  Some  are 
being  instructed  for  baptism.  He  has  no  less  than  twenty- 
five  preaching  places,  where  he  itinerates  with  varying  suc- 
cess. Walusangu,  whose  home  is  Mbozi,  visits  Ijenga;  he 
is  discouraged,  so  few  come  to  hear  what  he  has  to  say. 
Yet,  when  he  gave  notice  of  his  intention  to  go  to  some  more 
responsive  spot,  a  number  of  young  people  besought  him 
not  to  do  so.  He  has  nineteen  scholars.  Walusangano  has 
thirty-one  places  to  visit,  and  as  a  rule  is  much  encouraged. 
Such  a  desire  to  learn  to  read  and  write  has  been  aroused, 
that  at  one  of  his  places  a  certain  young  man  bought  a  prim- 
er and  slate  and  taught  himeslf  by  interrogating  every  one 
of  his  acquaintances  who  knew  these  arts,  and  made  such 
progress  that  when  later  he  came  to  work  at  the  station, 
he  could  at  once  enter  an  advanced  class.  Moreover  these 
people  inquire  what  our  religion  demands  of  them  in  its 
bearings  on  daily  life  in  connection  with  their  labor  in  the 
fields,  their  hunting,  during  illness,  etc.  Walwitho  tells  how 
the  people  come  gladly  to  his  preaching-place,  Mwembe. 
If  they  are  busy  in  their  fields,  they  say,  "Our  work  can 
w^ait,  come,  let  us  hear  God's  Word."  But  the  chief  keeps 
aloof,  and  says,  "I  dare  not  neglect  the  prayers  and  offer- 
ings to  the  departed.  God  is  for  the  younger  people,  not 
for  the  older."  About  Iledje  the  people  are  clamoring  for  a 
school.  Of  themselves  they  have  instituted  Sunday  observ- 
ance and  have  given  up  certain  immoral  dances.  They  allow 
their  young  women  more  liberty  in  connection  with  their 
marriage  choice.  But,  when  Bachmann  was  there  with  the 
evangelist  Nsajigwa,  he  felt  constrained  to  tell  them  plainly 
that  the  personal  Saviour  was  more  important  than  the 
schools  or  a  religion  made  up  of  mere  observances,  however 
valuable  the  former  and  proper  the  latter.  Mukoma  is  in 
charge  of  the  evangelist  Ambilishije,  who  has  been  hindered 
much  by  illness.     However,  the  services  at  Mukoma's  vil- 


98  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

lage  have  not  ceased  on  that  account.  Tjisumbi,  a  son  of 
the  chief,  who  can  read  and  possesses  parts  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, has  statedly  gathered  the  people  for  the  hearing  of 
God's  Word.  The  chief  attends  these  readings  of  his  own 
son,  but  is  battling  with  his  convictions.  His  councillors  and 
his  wives  are  trying  to  keep  him  in  the  old  ways.  Some 
time  ago  a  woman  attracted  much  attention  by  her  profes- 
sing to  be  able  to  bring  rain  and  to  cause  the  fish  to  swarm 
in  the  rivers.  When  she  came  to  Mukoma,  claiming  a 
desire  to  cause  rain,  he  had  her  driven  away,  professing  to 
regard  her  as  mad.  But  later  he  yielded  to  her  offer  to  pro- 
vide fish,  and  suffered  her  to  set  about  her  conjurations. 
Among  the  rest  she  required  that  the  people  should  sweep 
their  homes,  as  a  sign  that  they  looked  for  some  great  thing. 
Moreover  they  should  weave  fish-baskets  in  expectation 
of  the  great  catch.  The  chief  went  to  see  how  his  children 
would  act,  since  they  are  inclining  to  Christianity.  He 
found  his  daughter  sitting  in  her  door-way,  and  asked  why 
she  did  not  sweep  her  house:  "Did  she  want  no  fish?"  "Yes; 
but  I  will  sweep  my  house  when  I  have  a  mind  to,  not  when 
that  woman  gives  orders."  His  son,  Tjisumbi,  was  trim- 
ming the  handle  of  an  axe.  In  reply  to  the  question,  "All 
the  people  are  weaving  fish-baskets ;  why  are  not  you  ?"  he 
said,  "Father,  not  to-day.  I  will  do  that  when  I  wish,  but 
not  when  this  woman  commands."  In  reality  the  sequel 
brought  the  boast  of  the  poor  woman  to  naught. 

The  diary  of  Walutungamo  notes  the  following :  "One  day 
we  came  to  a  village  of  Alwaluvanda,  but  found  only  Muno- 
lima,  one  of  the  councillors  of  the  chief  at  home.  Here  we 
stayed  over  night.  Munolima  asked  us,  'You  men,  you  are 
on  the  go  without  resting;  what  is  your  occupation^?'  We 
replied :  'Honorable  father-in-law,  hear  us ;  we  will  tell 
you.'  Then  we  related  the  story  of  the  creation.  To  that 
he  remarked :  'That  has  been  told  us  already  by  Nsombwile. 
But  the  Europeans  also  die;  after  all  God  does  not  help.' 
W' e  naturally  agreed  with  him  that  the  Europeans  also  die. 
'But,'  we  continued,  'there  are  two  kinds  of  death.  Those 
who  die  without  God  go  to  destruction ;  those  who  die  with 


METHODS   OF    WORK.  99 

God,  go  to  everlasting  life  and  arise  again.'  This  we  sought 
to  make  plain  to  him  by  an  illustration :  'Is  not  the  maize  and 
every  seed  now  as  if  dead,  since  the  rain,  the  father  of  the 
causing  to  spring  into  life,  has  not  yet  come?  When  the 
rain  comes,  all  that  now  seems  dead  will  arise  in  life.'  When 
JVIunolima  heard  this,  he  was  astonished  and  sighed,  but 
said  nothing." 

Through  this  evangelistic  activity,  and  the  erection  of 
schools  and  simple  chapels  the  net  of  the  Gospel  is  being 
more  and  more  widely  cast.  Individual  candidates  for  bap- 
tism, who  prefer  to  remain  in  their  old  districts  instead  of 
removing  to  the  station  or  its  vicinity,  come  to  the  outpost 
for  instruction.  Gradually  this  place  also  takes  on  itself 
more  and  more  definite  characteristics  of  a  Christian  vil- 
lage. Occasionally  on  great  festival  occasions,  the  converts, 
who  have  been  baptized  not  at  the  central  station  but  at  the 
out-post  as  a  testimony  to  the  surrounding  heathen,  pay  a 
visit  of  a  shorter  or  longer  duration  to  the  center  itself. 
And  thus  whilst  no  principle  of  centralization  is  insisted  on, 
but  rather  one  of  diffusion,  the  mission-station  becomes  a 
city  of  God  set  on  a  hill.    Its  light  shines  forth  far  and  wide. 


100  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 


CHAPTER  XL 


HINDRANCES. 


In  the  nature  of  the  case  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel 
always  has  involved  and  always  must  involve  conflict.  Our 
Saviour  said  that  He  came  not  to  send  peace  on  the  earth 
but  a  sword.  The  seventy,  whom  He  first  sent  out,  did  not 
everywhere  meet  with  a  welcome  reception.  There  arose 
occasions,  when  they  had  to  shake  ofif  the  dust  from  their 
sandals  as  a  testimony  against  those  who  deliberately  hard- 
ened their  conscience  against  the  offers  of  God's  grace. 
When  the  great  apostle  wrote  of  the  great  and  effectual 
door  that  w^as  open  to  him  in  Ephesus,  he  had  to  add  that 
there  were  many  adversaries.  The  history  of  the  early 
Church  is  the  story  of  a  two-fold  conflict,  against  outspoken 
foes,  who  had  recourse  to  all  manner  of  weapons,  and 
against  internal  agitations  caused  sometimes  by  a  seeking  to 
amalgamate  essentially  unchristian  systems  of  thought  with 
the  fundamentals  of  the  faith  or  by  an  insidious  relaxation 
of  the  demands  of  Christian  ethics. 

Missionary  undertakings  may  be  expected  to  reflect  the 
experiences  of  the  early  Church  in  various  ways  and  for 
more  reasons  than  one ;  for  the  inner  experience  of  human 
nature  the  world  over  will  ever  substantiate  the  conclusion 
reached  by  the  apostle  Paul,  whose  self-scrutiny  led  to  the 
verdict :  "I  find  then  the  law\,  that,  to  me  who  would  do  good, 
evil  is  present.  For  I  delight  in  the  law  of  God  after  the 
inward  man :  but  I  see  a  dift'erent  law  in  my  members,  war- 
ring against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into  cap- 
tivity under  the  law  of  sin  which  is  in  my  members." 

The  conflict  against  the  power  of  evil  and  the  aggressive 
attack  on  the  strongholds  of  Satan  in  the  heart  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  in  the  tribe  or  race  is  rendered  particularly  diffi- 
cult in  a  region  of  intense  heat  like  equatorial  Africa  by 
the  fact  that  as  little  can  the  individual  missionary  ever  and 
always  be  at  his  best,  as  can  he  guarantee  unbroken  activity 
for  a  long  period  of  years  after  the  language  of  the  people 


HINDRANCES.  LOl 

has  been  mastered  and  their  customs  and  mode  of  thought 
have  come  to  be  thoroughly  understood  by  him.  Chmate 
works  as  a  hindrance  of  the  first  order.  Dysentery,  malaria, 
black-water  fever,  with  all  manner  of  sequelae,  not  the  least 
common  of  which  is  enlargement  of  the  heart,  render  the 
most  consecrated  worker  physically  unfit  for  weeks  at  a 
time.  The  oppressive  heat  produces  headache,  and  affects 
the  nerves.  The  most  placid  disposition  may  become  irri- 
table. Memory  is  weakened.  Energy  is  sapped.  Often 
death  enters  the  ranks.  Georg  Martin  died  in  1892,  Jean 
Ledoux  in  1896,  Christine  Haefner  and  Agnes  Zickmantel 
in  1897,  Helena  Stolz  and  Rudolf  Wagner  in  1899,  Anna 
Boehme  in  1901  and  Lydia  Meyer  in  1907.  Furloughs  ne- 
cessitated by  poor  health  interrupt  plans  for  work.  It  might 
be  that  physicians  forbade  a  return  from  furlough :  Richard 
and  wife  must  remain  in  Europe  in  1903,  Klautzsch  simi- 
larly in  1906,  Giersch  in  1908  and  Haefner  in  1909.  Nor 
can  even  the  construction  of  mosquito-proof  houses  and  the 
establishment  of  a  sanitarium  in  Kyimbila  guarantee  that 
this  experience  will  not  be  repeated. 

But  quite  apart  from  the  difficulties  of  climate  with  which 
Europeans  have  to  contend  in  Equatorial  Africa,  the  years 
soon  began  to  show,  that  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  in- 
volved and  must  involve  conflict  with  powers  of  evil  even 
among  the  children  of  nature  in  Nyasaland.  These  black- 
brown  figures  with  harmless-looking  happy  faces  are  not 
always  the  good-natured  and  innocent  folk  they  at  first  ac- 
quaintance may  appear  to  be.  Behind  and  beneath  the  ap- 
parent good^nature  of  these  people  lie  boundless  selfishness 
and  measureless  self-righteousness. 

Selfishness  often  gives  the  key  to  the  heathen  character. 
There  seems  to  be  a  striking  lack  of  disinterested  affection. 
The  sense  of  personal  obligation  is  very  slight.  It  is  pos- 
sible for  a  "boy"  to  have  been  in  the  service  of  a  missionary 
for  years  and  to  have  experienced  much  kindness  at  his 
hands,  and  yet  to  enter  the  service  of  others  without  the 
least  token  of  regret,  if  only  higher  wages  are  obtainable, 
8 


102  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

that  he  may  the  sooner  purchase  a  cow  for  himself.  When 
Jansa  in  connection  with  his  medical  missionary  work  de- 
sired his  "boy"  to  assist  him  in  his  work  of  dressing  wounds, 
or  in  boiling  and  bleaching  bandages,  so  that  they  might  be 
used  again,  he  met  with  a  point-blank  refusal ;  for  it  is  en- 
tirely against  native  custom  for  any  one  who  is  not  nearly 
related  to  the  patient  to  have  anything  to  do  with  his  band- 
ages and  the  like.  There  seems  to  be  absolute  inability  to 
appreciate  the  fact  that  the  missionary  busies  himself  with 
these  cases  that  are  often  disgusting  in  their  nature  out  of 
mere  pity  and  Christian  charity. 

Apparent  friendliness  may  serve  to  mask  impudent  false- 
hood and  the  basest  mistrust.  If  many  readily  manifest  an 
accommodating  spirit,  yield  to  the  missionaries  and  listen 
to  them,  it  does  not  always  warrant  the  inference  that  they 
do  this  because  they  have  confidence  in  the  messengers  and 
are  ready  to  accept  their  message  because  convinced  of  its 
truth.  The  explanation  may  really  be  found  in  their  super- 
stitions. Perhaps  at  first  they  see  in  the  missionaries  not 
ordinary  human  beings — in  particular  where  they  have  not 
yet  come  in  contact  with  whites — but  rather  higher  and  su- 
pernatural personages.  The  superiority  of  the  representa- 
tives of  the  white  race  has  made  an  impression  of  this  sort 
upon  them.  Fear  of  the  magic  with  which  they  imagine 
the  new-comers  are  equipped,  has  caused  them  to  give  way 
to  the  strangers.  And  this  conception  is  nurtured  by  their 
own  witch  doctors.  These  old-time  religious  guides  of 
theirs  prefer  at  least  at  first  to  work  against  the  missionaries 
in  underhand  ways,  rather  than  come  out  openly  and  boldly 
as  their  opponents.  The  opposition  thus  developed  may, 
however,  be  all  the  more  effective  because  of  its  quiet  and 
secret  nature. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  there  rests  upon  the  people  a  dull  lack 
of  readiness  to  respond  to  appeals.  Whereas  among  many 
another  race  calamity,  sickness  or  the  approach  of  death 
frequently  softens  the  heart  and  renders  the  individual  in 
question  receptive,  amongst  the  people  of  Nyasaland  exactly 
the  opposite  may  result,  and  heavy,  numb  indifference  be 


HINDRANCES.  103 

manifested.  "If  1  die,  1  die."  "God  hates  me,  and  tliere- 
fore  strikes  me  dead.  What  can  I  do?"  The  suggestion 
that  God  has  visited  such  an  one  with  trouble  in  order  that 
he  may  prepare  ft)r  his  end  and  turn  to  God  in  time,  falls 
on  deaf  ears.  Indifference,  ridicule  and  laughter  may  be  the 
res])onse  to  the  message  of  the  missionaries  in  days  of  health. 
The  invitation  to  come  to  the  mission-station  and  learn  of 
(.jod  will  meet  with  the  reply,  "Yes,  we  will  come.  But  we 
are  cautious.  W'e  will  come.  But  just  when — we  do  not 
yet  know." 

Often,  when  it  is  plain  that  better  knowledge  begins  to 
dawn  on  the  mind,  and  the  conviction  is  half  entertained 
that  some  day  a  change  must  be  made,  the  might  of  custom, 
the  power  of  habit  and  the  sw^ay  of  usages  inherited  from 
the  fathers,  or  the  influence  of  personages  w'ho  set  the  tone 
smothers  every  stirring  of  conscience.  Thus  it  comes  that 
tlie  converts  have  been'  won  on  the  whole  from  among  the 
comparatively  young  and  not  from  the  older  generation. 
Least  of  all  do  the  petty  chieftains  really  surrender  to  the 
truth.  Even  when  half  persuaded,  they  are  apt  to  hold 
back.  In  their  priestly  capacity  at  the  head  of  their  several 
clans,  they  feel  res])onsil)le  for  the  maintenance  of  the  re- 
ligious usages  that  are  sup])osed  to  condition  the  blessings 
of  fertility  upon  fields  and  groves  and  cattle  by  securing  the 
good- will  of  the  spirits  of  their  ancestors  to  whom  they  di- 
rect their  intercessions.  Tliis  new  religion  may  do  for  their 
children,  they  may  even  admit ;  Ijut  tlicy  dare  not  break  with 
the  bonds  of  ancestral  cust(Mn.  Indeed  the  more  definitely 
and  clearly  the  demands  of  the  ( losiicl  are  ])Ut.  tlie  more 
fully  is  the  conflict  between  the  bad  old  past  and  the  renewal 
of  life  realized  by  the  ])eo]:)le  themselves.  Said  an  old  chief 
to  the  missionary  at  lleya:  "Do  you  know  that  we  have  not 
the  strength  to  change  our  ways?"  Love  of  their  native 
beer,  the  inclination  to  sexual  immorality,  the  tendency  to 
dissolve  the  marriage  bond  on  slight  pretexts,  untruthful- 
ness, selfish  greed  in  connection  with  the  ownership  of  cattle, 
that  treasure  for  the  sake  of  which  they  will  stoop  to  all 
sorts  of  wrong-doings ;  superstition,   with  the  readiness  to 


104  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

have  recourse  to  the  services  of  the  witch-doctors,  especially 
in  times  of  sickness — these  are  some  of  the  things  that  bind 
them  down  and  fetter  them  to  the  old,  evil  mode  of  life. 

Polygamy  stands  out  as  one  of  the  chief  hindrances  in  the 
way  of  an  adult  man's  accepting  Christ.  Quite  apart  from 
the  fact  that  woman  puichasable  for  so  and  so  many  head 
of  cattle,  can  not  attain  the  position  in  family  life  that  should 
be  hers  by  right,  polygamy  renders  Christian  family  life  im- 
possible. Yet  here  as  in  other  lands  where  it  exists  in  con- 
nection with  the  social  usages  and  economic  arrangements 
that  have  rooted  themselves  for  centuries,  the  man  is 
often  loath  to  dismiss  all  his  wives  except  one  as  a  condition 
of  baptism.  They  mean  so  many  hands  to  hoe  his  corn- 
fields. When  placed  before  the  alternative,  too  often  bap- 
tism is  rejected.  Polygamy,  however,  serves  as  an  obstacle 
to  baptism  for  yet  another  reason:  If  the  candidate  first  dis- 
solved his  polygamous  unions  except  one,  the  last  state  of  the 
wives  now  divorced,  who  have  possibly  moreover  in  the 
mean  time  really  become  attached  to  him,  would  be  worse 
than  at  the  first.  Having  no  protector,  they  would  be  cast 
adrift,  placed  in  an  anomolous  position  as  overagainst  the 
social  and  economic  usages  of  the  people.  An  immoral  life 
might  be  their  only  recourse.  Hence  in  not  a  few  instances 
men  under  conviction  of  the  truth  have  declined  the  decisive 
step  involved  in  baptism,  because  apparently  really  unable 
to  break  with  polygamy. 

The  demoralizing  effect  of  polygamy  upon  womanhood 
is  in  part  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  parents 
of  a  girl  may  bargain  her  away  long  before  she  has  reached 
an  age  when  consent  on  her  part  may  be  predicated.  And 
at  that  she  may  be  sold  under  conditions  that  involve  essen- 
tial immorality.  For  example  a  five  year  old  girl  may  be 
sold  to  a  man.  who  already  has  adult  children.  The  actual 
marriage  does  not  indeed  take  place.  She  remains  with  her 
parents  till  she  is  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age.  Never- 
theless she  has  been  sold.  She  is  the  property  of  her  aged 
husband.  Possibly  before  she  has  become  a  part  of  his 
household,  she  fancies  a  younger  man  and  elopes -with  him. 


HINDRANCES. 


105 


Or  she  is  carried  off  by  a  younger  man.  This  gives  rise  to 
endless  feuds.  Or  there  is  a  man,  who  has  long  been  a 
grandfather.  He  has  five  or  six  wives  already ;  but  this  does 
not  prevent  him  from  adding  to  these  an  additional  wife  in 
the  person  of  a  girl  of  twelve.  His  own  daughter  of  a  simi- 
lar age  he  will  give  to  a  man  yet  older  than  himself,  because 
the  latter  can  pay  for  her  with  several  desirable  cows.  If 
the  girl  objects,  she  will  be  brought  to  her  husband  by  force. 

Most  difficult  of  all  is  it  for  the  chiefs  to  break  with  the 
past.  Their  people  will  not  permit  it  since  they  represent ' 
the  incorporated  traditions  connected  with  the  olden  faith 
and  cultus.  On  the  death  of  the  blind  old  chief  Zumba  early 
in  the  year  1910,  his  twelve  year  old  son  was  chosen  in  his 
place,  an  intelligent,  bright  lad.  who  had  been  attending  the 
mission  school  at  Ileya.  But  the  "elders"  of  the  tribe  gave 
no  peace,  till  he  left  the  school,  on  the  plea  that  a  chieftain 
dare  pray  only  to  the  ancestors.  This  was  especially  owing 
to  the  influence  of  the  vice-chieftain,  an  old  man  named 
Shimamule,  who  had  ever  manifested  consistent  opposition 
to  the  Gospel.  Among  the  rest  he  had  for  a  time  refused 
to  allow  the  native  evangelist  any  land  where  he  might  cul- 
tivate what  was  necessary  for  his  own  support.  Indeed 
poor  Andipije  would  have  been  helpless  in  this  respect,  had 
not  Kruppa  made  energetic  representations. 

In  making  up  a  list  of  the  hindrances  with  which  all  evan- 
gelical missions  must  contend  in  German  East  Africa,  a 
place  must  be  given  to  Mohammedanism.  This  place  will  as 
a  rule  l>e  more  or  less  prominent  in  proportion  to  the  near- 
ness of  the  stations  to  the  sea-coast,  where  the  Arab  slavers 
and  -traders  have  possessed  influence  for  many  decades,  if 
not  for  centuries,  or  to  points  in  the  interior  like  Tabora  and 
like  Ujiji  on  Lake  Tanganyika,  long  ago  important  in  con- 
nection with  their  caravan  traffic  and  their  transportation  of 
ivory  and  slaves  from  the  Congo  State  to  the  Orient.  At  its 
commencement  the  Nyasa  mission  felt  the  hostile  influence 
of  Islam  only  in  a  secondary  and  more  remote  manner.  Rut 
a  new  factor  with  which  the  mission  has  had  to  reckon  more 
frequently  in  recent  years  is  the  bad  prestige  of  individuals 


106  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

who.  on  their  return  from  the  coast  or  from  working  in  con- 
nection with  the  construction  of  the  railway,  seek  to  coun- 
teract the  advance  of  the  Gospel  by  means  of  their  pretend- 
ed knowledge  of  the  world.  As  in  other  parts  of  the  colony 
so  here,  these  returned  travelers,  who  have  come  in  contact 
with  the  Suaheli,  drop  foolish  remarks  like  the  following: 
"The  time  of  the  Europeans  in  the  land  will  soon  be  at  an 
end.  The  Emperors  of  Germany  and  England  have  re- 
ceived their  powers  from  the  Sultan  of  the  Mohammedans, 
and  the  time  he  has  allotted  to  them  will  soon  be  up."  It 
needs  no  great  insight  to  discern  that  the  source  of  the  wish 
that  is  parent  to  such  thoughts  is  Mohammedan.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  next  decade  will  witness  an  intenser 
contest  with  Lslam  all  through  Equatorial  Africa.  Its  influ- 
ence is  steadily  and  stealthily  advancing  into  the  interior. 
So  far  as  Kondeland  is  concerned,  the  lowlands  about  Mueia 
and  Ipyana,  and  the  valley  of  the  Songwe  present  the  chief 
theatre  of  direct  Mohammedan  opposition.  But  its  approach 
is  so  insidious,  that  it  may  have  really  more  than  half  as- 
sumed control  of  the  mental  and  spiritual  attitude  of  whole 
districts,  before  the  missionaries  are  aware  of  this.  Certain 
it  is  that  the  entire  coast  of  German  East  Africa  stands  un- 
der the  sway  of  Islam.  In  the  harbor  towns  mosques  are  a 
common  sight.  For  two  or  three  days'  journey  from  the 
coast  the  indigenous  population  has  gone  over  to  the  false 
faith  in  large  numbers.  In  the  interior  isolated  Arab  and 
semi-Arab  colonies,  in  Tabora  and  Ujiji  and  along  the  line 
of  the  railway  that  is  rapidly  being  constructed  from  Dares- 
salam to  Tabora,  constitute  at  present  the  fortresses  of  the 
religion  of  the  false  prophet. 

Without  question  Mohammedanism  constitutes  a  danger- 
ous foe  of  the  Gospel,  one  whose  advance  must  be  opposed 
by  all  means  that  are  at  disposal.  Possessed  of  great  ca- 
pacity of  adaptability,  accommodating  itself  easily  to  the 
original  Animism  of  the  African  peoples,  it  is  ceaselessly 
active  in  its  efforts  to  proselytize  and  does  in  fact  offer  the 
African  heathen  something  better  than  what  he  hitherto 
possessed.     Here  its  strength  is  twofold.     On  the  one  hand 


HINDRANCES. 


107 


it  does  actually  satisfy  higher  religious  needs,  in  that  it  pre- 
sents to  the  Aniniist  the  conception  of  the  one  God.  who 
rules  the  world,  and  on  the  other  hand  it  does  raise  the 
African  to  a  higher  state  externally,  in  that  it  affords  him 
in  a  limited  degree  an  educational  means  of  widening  his 
mental  horizon.  \\'hereas  it  appertains  to  the  essential  na- 
ture of  heathenism,  that  its  adherents  are  kept  in  a  state  of 
dread  and  fear,  Islam  can  undertake  to  produce  an  innei 
sense  of  repose,  consciousness  of  security  and  assurance  of 
safety  under  the  protection  of  (rod.  It  does  reckon  with 
these  inevitable  longings  of  human  nature  and  through  its 
teachings  of  a  sensuous  paradise  laid  up  for  the  faithful 
offers  to  the  Bantu  a  concrete  aim  in  life,  which  he  is  capa- 
ble of  understanding.  Furthermore  for  him  there  is  some- 
thing specially  attractive  in  its  preaching  the  brotherhood  of 
believers.  By  his  conversion  to  Islam  and  through  his  be- 
coming a  fully  qualihed  member  of  this  great  international 
religious  organization — an  organization  as  characteristically 
that  of  the  man  of  dark  skin  as  Christianity  is  the  religion 
of  the  whites- — he  has  socially  everything  to  gain.  Previous 
to  his  conversion  to  Islam,  the  Arab,  formerly  hated  and 
feared  by  him  as  a  slave-hunter  and  slave-trader,  regarded 
him  as  an  unclean  dog.  Through  his  admission  to  the  ranks 
of  the  "Faithful"  he  obtains  the  proud  consciousness  of  hav- 
ing attained  admission  into  a  brotherhood  that  knows  no 
distinction  of  race,  has  risen  above  the  humiliations  to  which 
he  was  subjected  as  a  heathen,  and  has  the  sense  of  security 
which  comes  from  the  solidarity  of  feeling  common  to  mil- 
lions in  Africa  and  Asia. 

Moreover  the  acceptance  of  Islam  by  the  African  is  ren- 
dered the  more  easy  by  its  demanding  conditions  which  may 
be  readily  fulfille  1  by  him.  Fthically  and  morally  no  great 
change  needs  to  be  made  in  his  former  views  and  customs. 
On  the  contrary,  in  the  sphere  of  religion  and  religious 
u.sages  great  concessions  are  made  to  the  African  i)roselyte. 
Indeed  his  previous  superstitions  and  usages  are  scarcely 
interfered  with  at  all.  From  the  "Faithful"  it  is  only  de- 
manded that  they  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  God.  in  the 


108  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

existence  of  spirits,  of  angels,  in  the  Koran,  in  the  prophets 
of  God,  in  the  day  of  judgment  and  in  predestination. 
Among  the  rituahstic  duties  primary  stress  is  laid  on  the 
obhgation  to  repeat  the  brief  characteristic  Mohammedan 
confession  of  faith  in  Allah  and  in  Mohammed  his  prophet. 
With  this  is  associated  the  observance  of  the  stated  prayers 
five  times  a  day,  fasting  in  the  month  Ramadan,  giving  of 
alms,  and  when  circumstances  permit,  the  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca.  In  his  accepting  the  religion  of  Islam  the  learning 
of  the  confession  of  faith  plays  the  main  part,  from  its  fund- 
amental significance.  This  and  the  acquirement  of  the  ritual 
in  connection  with  the  formal  prayers  are  something  new 
for  the  African,  but  also  something  easily  grasped.  For  the 
rest,  he  may  remain  practically  unchanged.  Circumcision  is 
readily  conformed  to.  His  position  in  relation  to  polygamy 
and  to  slavery  he  need  not  surrender ;  nay  rather  he  finds 
it  confirmed  by  the  seal  of  religion.  Nor  does  the  new  faith 
require  of  him  in  any  wise  to  abandon  his  belief  in  spirits 
and  ghosts,  in  the  power  of  magic  and  of  magical  formulas. 
His  reverence  for  the  shades  of  his  ancestors,  his  fear  of 
demons,  his  use  of  amulets,  his  heathen  customs  in  connec- 
tion with  the  healing  of  disease — ^all  these  he  may  carry  over 
with  himself  into  the  new  camp.  No  change  of  heart,  no 
modification  of  his  point  of  view,  no  readjustment  of  his 
moral  life,  no  purifying  of  character  is  required.  And  yet 
with  it  all,  he  flatters  himself  with  the  idea  that  through  his 
abhorring  swine's  flesh  and  his  repetition  of  the  creed  of 
Mohammed,  he  has  become  a  very  superior  individual  in 
comparison  with  his  former  self,  and  in  comparison  with 
the  "infidel"  fellow  tribesman,  whom  he  now  learns  to  com- 
fortably despise  and  the  "infidel"  European,  whom  he  learns 
to  cordially  hate.  No  wonder  that  Mohammedanism  there- 
fore makes  an  easy  conquest  of  the  African.  Indeed  since 
the  occupation  of  East  Equatorial  Africa  by  Germany  and 
the  consequent  suppression  of  the  slave  trade  and  the  main- 
tenance of  order  in  the  land,  Mohammedanism  has  conduct- 
ed a  more  aggressive  propaganda  among  the  native  tribes. 
It  was  the  representatives  of  Islam  who  were  responsible 


HINDRANCES.  109 

for  the  terrible  slave-hunts  and  the  awful  processions  to  the 
•coast,  when  in  the  olden  time  the  living  wares  brought  them- 
selves and  the  ivory  to  market.  In  those  days  self-interest 
taught  the  Arabs  to  withhold  the  privileges  of  their  faith 
from  the  African  tribesman,  otherwise  the  scope  of  their 
slave-trade  would  have  been  curtailed — for  the  Mohammed- 
an must  seek  his  slaves  beyond  the  pale  of  the  "Faithful." 
Now  that  the  black  dare  no  longer  be  regarded  as  lawful 
"booty,  it  is  in  the  interest  of  Mohammedan  aggrandizement 
to  seek  to  win  him  as  a  subject  of  the  Crescent.  Moreover 
the  very  security  afforded  by  a  stable  colonial  government 
and  the  excellent  means  of  communication  which  this  gov- 
•ernment  is  establishing  have  rendered  the  task  of  propagat- 
ing Islam  far  easier.  Finally  the  Alohammedan's  method  of 
doing  missionary  work  is  far  simpler  than  that  of  the  Church 
in  the  twentieth  century.  Every  Mohammedan  is  a  mis- 
sionary; every  Hadji  counts  it  a  point  of  honor  to  be  a 
"herald ;  every  petty  trader,  every  teacher  of  the  Koran,  ev- 
■ery  Mohammedan  holding  some  minor  office  under  the  co- 
lonial government  does  what  he  can  to  spread  the  faith. 
The  name  Suaheli  and  advocate  of  Mohammed  have  become 
practically  identical  in  German  East  Africa.  Hence  it  is 
readily  conceivable  that  the  approach  of  the  emissaries  of 
Islam  and  their  invasion  of  a  given  district  will  not  at  once 
be  noticeable.  Quiet  leavening  of  the  views  of  a  tribe  may 
take  place  ere  the  Christian  missionary  perceives  the  pro- 
cess. Mohammedanism  has  no  need  of  founding  mission 
stations,  nor  of  training  and  sending  and  maintaining  mis- 
sionaries set  apart  and  recognizable  as  such  by  virtue  of 
their  office.  The  emissaries  of  the  Koran  require  no  insti- 
tutions corresponding  to  those  of  the  propagators  of  the 
Christian  faith.  Hence  an  intensive  pro])aganda  may  be 
.going  on  and  the  Christian  missionaries  may  l)e  scarcely 
made  aware  of  the  presence  of  insidious  and  bitter  antago- 
nists, until  a  whole  village  has  hardened  itself  against  Christ 
and  proclaims  itself  for  the  false  prophet.  And  experience 
"has  taught,  that  the  conversion  of  a  Mohammedan  presents 
:a  far  more  difficult  task  than  the  winning  (^f  a  pagan,  how- 


110  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

ever  low  the  type  of  Animism  on  which  his  rehgious  cultus- 
has  been  based. 

Unfortunately  evangelical  missions  in  German  East  Af- 
rica must  reckon  with  yet  another  antagonist  in  the  effort  to- 
win  the  native  population  for  Scriptural  faith,  and  that  is 
the  counter-propaganda  of  Rome.  Roman  Catholic  mis- 
sionary history  in  the  regions  now  embraced  in  the  German 
colony  antedates  the  hoisting  of  the  German  flag.  Roman 
Catholic  missionaries  found  firm  footing  in  Zanzibar  al- 
ready in  1859,  and  in  1869  established  a  settlement  on  the 
mainland  at  Bagamoyo.  Their  concrete  task  was  a  laudable- 
care  of  emancipated  slaves.  Moreover  the  priests  pressed 
forward  into  the  region  of  Lake  Tanganyika  as  early  as- 
1879,  to  meet  with  most  active  opposition  and  encounter 
many  difficulties  before  their  settlements  gained  a  secure 
basis.  But  the  more  significant  aggressiveness  of  Roman 
Catholicism  in  German  East  Africa  dates  from  the  founding 
of  a  missionary  house  of  the  "White  Fathers"  in  Trier  in 
1894  in  order  to  equip  workers  of  this  order  for  special  ser- 
vice in  this  colony. 

This  laudable  zeal  would  call  forth  very  little  adverse- 
comment,  were  not  Roman  Catholic  missionary  methods 
characterized  by  a  failure  to  place  the  Bible  in  the  hands  of 
the  converts,  with  all  the  consequent  traits  of  a  Christianity 
resting  on  salvation  by  works  and  external  religious  observ- 
ances, and  were  not  Rome  as  a  matter  of  principle  consist- 
ently aggressive,  where  evangelical  missions  have  already 
done  pioneer  work,  utterly  failing  to  maintain  such  comity 
as  can  exist  between  representatives  of  essentially  the  same- 
faith.  The  land  would  seem  large  enough  for  the  division 
of  the  task  of  winning  heathen  tribes  for  Christ  without 
collision  among  the  various  representatives  of  Christianity.. 
But  Rome  with  her  proclamation  of  only  one  Church  in 
which  salvation  is  to  be  found  can  not  be  consistent  and  re- 
frain from  entering  Protestant  territory.  Hence  she  has. 
divided  the  whole  colony  for  the  purpose  of  missionary  ad- 
ministration into  five  apostolic  vicarates,  quite  irrespective 
(if  the  question  whether  any  part  of  the  land  remains  for  the- 


HINDRANCES.  Ill 

present  wholly  untouched  hy  her  emissaries  or  whether  en- 
tire districts  have  already  heen  well  supplied  with  Protestant 
heralds  of  Christ,  and  whether  evangelical  congregations 
have  heen  huilt  up.  In  the  middle  of  1908,  as  contrasted 
with  the  Protestant  mission  and  their  11.655  native  Chris- 
tians, served  from  72  main  stations  hy  102  ordained  and  50 
unordained  missionaries  and  20  unmarried  women  mission- 
aries, Rome  had  at  her  67  stations  38,9/6  native  Christians 
in  the  care  of  183  fathers,  86  lay  hrethren  and  126  nuns. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  whatever,  that  the  Moravian 
Church  took  up  its  missionary  work  in  its  chosen  region  be- 
tween Lakes  Nyasa  and  Rukwa  before  the  Roman  Catholics 
entered  this  part  of  the  country.  But  it  became  evident  be- 
fore many  years  passed,  that  they  are  specially  bent  on  ob- 
structing Protestant  mission  work  here  as  elsewhere,  and 
for  that  reason  planned  to  systematically  enclose  and  con- 
fine the  Moravian  area  of  operations  by  the  erection  of  sta- 
tions of  their  own  on  several  sides  if  not  within  the  bound- 
aries of  the  evangelical  work.  It  is  true  the  government 
exercises  its  influence  as  much  as  possible  in  the  direction 
of  obviating  conflicts' between  the  missions  of  antagonistic 
confessions.  So  for  example,  when  the  Roman  Catholics 
sought  to  open  four  schools  in  Hochsafwa  and  thus  hamper 
the  Protestant  work  in  the  northern  part  of  that  region  for 
whose  evangelization  the  Moravian  Church  had  become  re- 
sponsible the  influence  of  the  government  was  exercised  in 
favor  of  Herrnhut. 

Here  were  places  for  the  occupation  of  which  Meyer  had 
already  been  negotiating  with  the  government.  Yet  the 
points  of  conflict  in  other  directions  remained.  Hence  the 
district-officials  were  asked  by  the  "White  Fathers"  in  the 
year  1903  to  act  as  arbitrators  in  the  matter  of  a  clear  de- 
markation  of  the  two  spheres  of  labor  in  the  country  lying 
to  the  northwest  of  Utengule.  With  a  view  to  making  ad- 
vances on  their  part  as  well,  Meyer  and  his  co-workers  con- 
sented to  this  proposal,  but  made  it  a  condition  that  its  ac- 
ceptance be  made  dependent  upon  the  sanction  of  the  two 
Home  P)Oards  in  Europe,  the  Roman  Catholic  and  the  Kvan- 


112  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

gelical,  and  accordingly  refrained  from  work  of  every  de- 
scription in  the  territory  of  the  chiefs  lying  in  the  sphere  of 
influence  assigned  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Soon  how- 
ever the  Roman  Catholics  occupied  anew  a  station  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  of  Moravian  work,  which  had  been 
abandoned  in  consequence  of  government  action.  It  there- 
fore became  apparent  how  little  they  could  be  bound  by  such 
agreements.  True  neither  Board  at  home  had  as  yet  ratified 
the  agreement.  Hence  the  "White  Fathers"  might  plead 
they  had  broken  no  formal  truce.  The  Mission  Board  of 
the  Moravian  Church  had  expressed  its  willingness  to  assent 
to  a  line  of  demarkation,  provided  the  other  party  would 
do  the  same.  The  assent  of  the  second  party  had  not  been 
made  known.  On  the  other  hand  the  missionaries  in  the 
field  received  repeated  messages  from  chiefs  living  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  sphere,  chiefs  with  whom  they  had  been 
on  friendly  terms  and  among  whom  they  had  labored  years 
previously,  urgently  requesting  them  to  take  up  their  activ- 
ity anew,  since  the  Roman  Catholic  workers  were  not  to 
their  mind.  At  the  same  time  these  chiefs  and  their  people 
themselves  began  to  oppose  the  Roman  Catholic  mission  to 
such  an  extent  that  their  workers  accused  the  Protestant 
missionaries  of  having  violated  their  promise  and  of  inciting 
the  natives  to  opposition.  A  thorough  investigation  of  the 
afifair  on  the  spot  by  a  representative  of  the  government  in 
the  presence  of  the  monks  and  the  superintendent  of  the 
Moravian  Mission,  showed  not  only  that  the  Protestant 
workers  had  respected  the  agreement,  but  also  that  the  Ro- 
man Catholics  had  lost  the  confidence  of  the  people.  Con- 
sequently with  the  cognizance  of  the  government  official 
public  notice  was  served  that  the  agreement  if  it  ever  had 
held  good  on  the  part  of  Rome  was  now  entirely  abrogated. 
This  transpired  in  1904. 

For  several  years  an  unsatisfactory  state  of  things  result- 
ed. But  in  1909  and  1910  negotiations  were  resumed  re- 
garding the  demarkation  of  boundaries  that  should  separate 
the  Roman  Catholic  from  the  evangelical  mission  in  this 
part  of  German  East  Africa.    It  was  proposed  that  a  mutual 


HINDRANCES.  113 

understanding  should  be  reached,  which  should  be  valid  for 
the  space  of  ten  years.  To  the  proposed  boundary,  arrived 
at  after  much  correspondence,  the  Mission  Board  of  the 
Moravian  Church  gave  its  consent  in  1910,  and  at  length 
at  the  end  of  the  first  half  of  the  year  1911,  the  final  ac- 
quiescence of  the  authorities  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Mis- 
sion was  also  received. 


114  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

DISAPPOINTMENTS. 

In  connection  with  every  effort  to  elevate  the  degraded 
and  inform  the  ignorant,  it  is  inevitable  that  from  time  to 
time  keen  disappointments  must  be  experienced.  That  is 
disclosed  by  the  inner  history  of  all  philanthropic  effort. 
Mission  work  in  German  East  Africa  has  proved  no  excep- 
tion to  this  rule.  Not  all  converts  have  remained  steadfast; 
sometimes  those  on  whom  most  attention  and  sympathy  had 
been  expended  and  in  connection  with  whom  high  hopes 
were  cherished,  suddenly  disappeared  to  seek  their  fortunes 
at  the  coast  without  a  word  of  thanks  for  kindness  ex- 
perienced. Not  every  man  selected  to  be  an  evangelist  has 
been  faithful  to  his  trust;  sometimes  reproach  has  been 
brought  on  the  Christian  name  by  the  weak  yielding  of  such 
a  man  in  the  face  of  temptation.  Demas  has  had  his  coun- 
terpart in  Kondeland.  Base  ingratitude,  total  misunder- 
standing of  the  motives  of  the  missionaries,  or  the  utter 
unreliability  of  those  in  whom  confidence  was  reposed,  have 
sorely  tried  the  Brethren ;  for  example,  when  the  church  at 
Ipyana,  dedicated  on  the  Fourth  Sunday  in  Advent,  1900, 
was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  following  May  14,  evidently 
the  work  of  an  incendiary.  So,  too,  when  in  1903,  the  care- 
lessness of  the  man  temporarily  placed  in  charge  of  the 
same  station  permitted  a  grass-fire  to  spread  to  the  stable, 
and  destroy  with  the  building  the  valuable  animals  it  housed, 
this  faithless  keeper,  having  lost  his  head,  made  no  effort  to 
arrest  the  fire  nor  save  the  stock,  but  simply  ran  away.  But 
possibly  the  experience  with  the  former  slave-children  al- 
ready alluded  to  cut  deepest  of  all,  because  many  hopes  had 
naturally  been  built  upon  their  gratitude  and  docility. 

The  experience  may  be  narrated  somewhat  in  extenso  as 
typical  of  the  fact  that  the  native  who  is  the  subject  of  the 
missionary's  aims,  regards  the  purposes  of  the  latter  from 
a  very  different  point  of  view  and  does  not  necessarily  ap- 
preciate even  the  manifestations  of  most  unselfish  kindness. 


DISAPPOINTMENTS.  115 

On  Nov.  24,  1898,  the  news  reached  Rungwe,  that  Major 
von  Eltz  had  succeeded  in  freeing  a  slave  caravan  of  more 
than  two  hundred  captives  from  the  Arab  slaver  Mrosi. 
But  the  slaves  thus  set  free  could  not  be  sent  back  to  their 
native  districts,  partly  because  it  was  probable  that  this 
would  merely  mean  a  transfer  of  their  ownership,  with  a 
falling  into  slavery  elsewhere,  and  partly  because  in  the  case 
■of  women  and  children  relatives  were  no  longer  to  be  count- 
ed on  as  alive,  even  were  it  certain  that  they  could  find  their 
way  back  to  their  former  homes.  Hence  they  had  to  be 
provided  with  new  homes  in  the  colony  and  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  government.  For  about  half  the  number  such 
provision  had  been  made.  But  for  the  rest,  mainly  women 
•and  children,  von  Eltz  had  found  no  suitable  places.  It  was 
therefore  his  wish  that  the  missionaries  of  the  Berlin  So- 
ciety and  of  the  Moravian  Church  should  accept  them  as 
wards  of  these  missions.  This  intelligence  came  from  mis- 
sionary Nauhaus  of  Wangemannshoh,  and  with  it  the  ques- 
tion whether  the  missionaries  at  Rungwe  were  willing  to 
-assume  the  care  of  a  part  of  this  human  flotsam  and  jetsam. 

An  aftirmative  decision  was  reached.  How  could  it  be 
otherwise,  when  pity  and  duty  combined  to  urge  the  neces- 
sity of  acting  the  part  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  and  at  the 
same  time,  there  seemed  to  be  prospect  that  especially  these 
•children,  being  saved  from  a  fate  worse  than  death,  and 
finding  foster-parents  in  Rungwe,  would  prove  especially 
amenable  to  the  teachings  of  the  Gospel  ?  Meyer  happened 
to  be  absent  at  the  time.  Richard  at  once  set  out  for  Wange- 
mannshoh to  receive  his  charges. 

Of  the  ninety,  who  were  there,  only  three  were  men ;  the 
rest  women  and  children,  some  of  the  latter  of  very  tender 
years.  The  husbands  of  the  women  had  been  murdered  in 
the  raid  of  the  slavers.  Whether  the  parents  of  any  of  the 
children  were  still  alive,  no  one  knew.  Nearly  starved  and 
weary  to  death,  they  had  been  brought  to  Wangemannshoh 
by  the  native  soldiers  of  the  government.  During  the  first 
day  they  could  only  lie  about  and  sleep  for  sheer  weariness. 
It  was  evident  that  they  belonged  to  a  variety  of  tribes,  and 


116  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

conversation  with  them  was  by  no  means  easy.  Since  the- 
BerHn  missionaries  by  this  time  had  founded  two  stations- 
and  the  Moravians  only  one,  the  former  agreed  to  take  two- 
thirds  of  these  poor  unfortunates,  the  latter  one-third. 

With  his  thirty  protegees,  among  them  one  man,  Richard- 
returned  to  Rungwe  on  December  6. 

On  January  19,  1894,  Meyer  arrived  at  Rungwe  with  his- 
young  wife;  his  colleagues  were  still  single.  And  now  al- 
though the  newly  rescued  slaves  seemed  to  have  begun  to. 
accustom  themselves  with  a  degree  of  contentment  to  the- 
conditions  obtaining  at  the  station,  it  was  necessary  to  care- 
fully regulate  their  affairs.  Privileges  and  duties  must  be 
weighed  overagainst  each  other.  The  government  had  laid 
down  no  conditions,  when  placing  them  in  the  charge  of  the- 
missionaries.  They  themselves  had  voluntarily  declared, 
that  they  wished  to  live  at  the  station  under  the  protection 
of  the  white  men.  Of  compulsion,  there  neither  was  nor 
could  be  any  thought.  The  missionaries,  therefore,  formu- 
lated the  following  for  their  own  guidance :  for  the  present 
we  will  provide  for  the  external  wants  of  these  people ;  but 
in  return  we  must  demand  from  them  a  certain  amount  of 
work  and  unconditional  compliance  with  the  regulations  of 
the  station.  Half  a  year's  probation  should  first  of  all  be 
arranged,  at  the  close  of  which  an  opportunity  should  be 
given  to  all  to  choose  definitely,  whether  they  wished  to  cast 
in  their  lot  \vith  the  mission.  In  the  mean  time  inquiries 
should  be  made  after  their  relatives,  and  if  any  were  found 
it  should  be  left  to  them  to  go  to  these  if  they  preferred. 
Round  huts  in  native  style  were  built  for  them  on  land  be- 
longing to  the  mission.  The  women  should  be  encouraged 
to  find  husbands  from  among  the  unmarried  men  at  the  sta- 
tion. One  of  the  women  married  Muarupia,  the  cook  of 
the  missionaries.  When  such  a  marriage  took  place,  the 
mission's  obligation  to  provide  food  for  the  woman  ceased. 
The  children  must  attend  the  school.  Women  were  found 
who  were  willing  to  adopt  the  quite  little  children. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  some  difficulty  was  attendant  on 
the  task  of  accustoming  the  strangers  to  the  orderly  ways 


DISAPPOIXTMEXTS.  117 

that  already  obtained  at  Rungwc.  Vor  discipline  and  order 
were  hitherto  unknown  quantities  in  their  Hves.  Neverthe- 
less all  arranged  itself  better  than  was  hoped  at  the  outset. 
The  only  man  of  the  company,  Muasandya,  was  of  a  gentle 
and  cjuiet  disposition,  and  worked  diligently  in  the  garden. 
From  the  women  who  were  fed  by  the  mission,  only  half 
a  day's  work  was  expected.  The  afternoons  belonged  to 
them.  xA.nd  with  this  regulation  they  seemed  content.  When 
they  were  asked  in  May,  after  five  months,  whether  they 
wished  to  remain,  without  exception  they  declared  that  they 
were  pleased  with  their  circumstances  and  desired  to  stay 
here  permanently ;  no  wonder,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  they 
knew  wheie  to  find  neither  their  former  home  nor  their 
kinsfolk. 

Similarly  the  slave-children  accustomed  themselves  to  the 
school  regulations  far  better  than  had  been  anticipated.  One 
boy,  it  is  true,  Kiarne  by  name,  was  in  a  specially  wretched 
condition.  Physically  he  was  utterly  miserable,  weak  and 
emaciated ;  so  that  he  knew  only  one  impulse,  namely  to 
satisfy  his  hunger.  He  did  this  at  all  hours  of  the  day, 
when  and  where  and  however  he  could,  with  the  property 
of  others,  as  well  as  with  what  had  been  given  him  as  his 
portion — at  times,  too,  with  really  inedible  things.  Of  obe- 
dience he  had  not  the  faintest  conception,  and  with  his  fel- 
lows he  lived  in  ceaseless  strife.  Yet  gradually  even  this 
Ishmael  tamed  down.  Most  of  the  boys  proved  to  be  sur- 
prisingly intelligent  and  quickly  grasped  what  was  taught. 
The  elder  lads  displayed  a  surprising  capacity  for  thought. 
Of  especial  value  was  their  capacity  and  love  for  singing. 
For  song  unified  and  disciplined  this  otherwise  so  mixed 
multitude  and  at  the  same  time  exercised  a  toning  influence 
on  their  dispositions.  Through  the  medium  of  song  it  also 
appeared  to  be  not  difficult  to  introduce  religious  concep- 
tions. True  not  much  could  be  done  with  the  heathenish 
songs  and  native  melodies,  they  brought  with  them.  The 
melodies  had  indeed  a  peculiar  attraction,  but  were  unsuited 
to  religious  songs.     The  contents  of  their  songs,  when  not 

9 


118  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

directly  bad,  were  very  empty.  But  when  they  were  taught 
songs,  which  j\Ieyer  had  translated,  and  set  to  German  melo- 
dies, they  welcomed  them  with  eagerness  and  soon  acquired 
this  new  treasure.  Some  of  the  boys  showed  special  aptitude 
for  gardening,  and  Aleyer's  wife  had  satisfaction  with  two 
girls  in  particular,  iMuabura  and  Mumbi,  whom  she  taught 
sewing  and  housework.  These  two  also  appeared  to  be  spe- 
cially susceptible  to  religious  truth. 

By  the  summer  of  1894  the  missionaries  believed  that  they 
could  notice  that  a  complete  change  had  taken  place  in  the 
ways  and  life  of  their  wards.  They  had  ceased  to  quarrel 
with  one  another.  W^hen  disagreements  arose,  they  brought 
them  to  the  missionaries  for  settlement.  Reserve  had  given 
way  to  openness  and  trust  in  the  goodness  of  their  white 
friends  and  protectors.  When  for  example  one  of  the  boys, 
Satara  by  name,  by  accident  broke  a  water-bottle,  and  his 
first  impulse  was  to  conceal  the  accident  out  of  fear,  an 
older  boy,  Fiafuma,  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said,  "Come, 
let  us  go  to  the  teacher  and  tell  him.  He  has  always  said 
that  we  should  freely  tell  him  all  that  we  have  done." 
Bachmann  was  naturally  made  glad  by  this  little  incident. 
From  their  placing  confidence  in  the  missionaries  it  was 
easy  to  turn  thoughts  to  placing  confidence  in  Jesus.  Prayer 
now  began  to  be  a  common  practice  among  the  boys.  The 
character  of  most  of  the  children  had  so  changed  for  the 
better  that  their  old,  wild,  wayward  selves  could  scarcely 
be  recognized.  Not  indeed  that  perfection  had  been  attained. 
Follies  and  even  small  thefts  and  falsehoods  came  to  light. 
But  in  each  case  punishment  was  accepted  as  something 
well  deserved  and  seemed  to  produce  a  good  efifect.  Even 
Kiarne's  formerly  sullen  face  now  gleamed  with  happiness 
and  contentment,  so  that  his  comrades  noted  with  surprise 
the  change  that  had  taken  place  in  him.  The  gratification 
of  the  missionaries  may  well  be  understood.  They  began 
to  build  hopes  on  these  children.  In  them  they  saw  the 
material  for  future  workers  among  the  native  population. 
Here  should  be  the  corps  of  evangelists  in  coming  days. 
The  adult  ex-slaves  also  became  a  source  of  satisfaction, 


DISAPPOINTMENTS.  119 

even  if  it  was  often  necessary  to  exercise  patience  in  relation 
to  them.  Certain  of  the  women  who  had  come  from  near 
Lake  Tanganyika,  suffered  very  severely  from  home-sick- 
ness. An  effort  was  made  to  ascertain  whether  their  rela- 
tives were  still  ahve,  and  they  received  the  promise,  that 
when  proper  protectors  had  been  found  for  them,  they 
should  be  allowed  to  return  to  their  former  homes.  That 
appeared  to  satisfy  them.  All  were  again  cheerful  and  seem- 
ingly contented. 

But  just  when  the  skies  were  so  bright,  clouds  began  to 
form.  The  Tanganyika  women  had  not  patience  to  wait 
till  the  messengers  could  return  from  that  lake.  They  re- 
fused to  do  their  share  of  work  and  showed  themselves 
thankless  and  impudent.  That  was  the  commencement  of 
troubles.  During  the  night  of  .September  14,  1894,  the  first 
flight  from  Rungwe  took  place.  Next  morning  two  women 
were  missing  together  with  their  children.  I'ut  the  one 
man  among  the  ex-slaves  was  also  missing,  quiet,  industri- 
ous Aluasandya,  together  with  his  wife.  He  had  not  shown 
the  least  sign  of  dissatisfaction.  More  than  that ;  three  or- 
phans were  also  missing,  taken  along  by  the  adults.  In- 
quiries were  at  once  made  with  regard  to  the  fugitives,  but 
to  no  purpose.  They  had  all  disappeared  without  leaving 
any  trace.  The  first  intelligence  with  regard  to  them  was 
received  in  November.  The  British  official  at  the  bound- 
ary, the  river  Songwc'had  seized  them.  He  had  allowed 
the  adults  to  go,  but  had  kept  the  children  in  his  care  for 
the  time  being.  Tt  was  his  purpose  to  hunt  out  their  rela- 
tives ;  but  first  of  all  he  asked  if  the  mis.sionaries  were  will- 
ing to  permit  them  to  return  to  Rungwe.  This  was  declined 
for  the  sake  of  the  children  who  remaincfl,  and  whom  the 
missionaries  wished  to  preserve  from  the  influence  of  those 
that  had  fled.  But  how  humiliating  this  experience,  and 
the  consequent  admission  that  the  children  could  not  with 
safety  be  received  back!  This  secret  flight,  so  plain  a  proof 
of  ingratitude,  how  unexpected  and  disappointing!  ATean- 
time  it  was  a  slight  comfort,  that  the  Tanganyika  women, 
with  whom  earnest  conversations  had  been  held,  and  whose 


120  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

conditions  had  been  made  yet  more  easy,  had  not  joined  the 
runaways.  On  the  contrary  they  appeared  to  be  quite  con- 
tented with  their  duties.  There  therefore  was  good  reason 
to  hope,  that  now  the  right  sohition  of  the  situation  had  been 
found,  and  that  the  twenty-three  ex-slaves  who  remained 
at  the  station  might  be  really  influenced  for  good  and  at  that 
permanently. 

But  the  old  relationship  of  confidence  had  been  disturbed. 
In  spite  of  all  the  good  in  the  character  of  the  young  pro- 
tegees, indifference  and  indolence  gradually  increased  and 
gained  the  upper  hand.  One  who  gave  special  cause  for 
anxiety  was  Fikirimi,  the  eldest  of  the  boys.  Wonderfully 
developed  both  physically  and  mentally,  he  far  surpassed  all 
his  school  companions  in  capacity  for  apprehension  and  in 
his  clear  understanding.  His  apprehension  of  the  religious 
meaning  of  Biblical  stories  was  simply  surprising.  But  he 
was  of  a  precariously  passionate  desposition  and  was  swayed 
by  passing  moods.  Over  his  companions  he  exercised  a 
rather  unfortunate  influence.  Nor  was  he  to  be  trusted. 
Many  complaints  were  made  about  him  towards  the  end 
of  the  year  1894.  He  became  boisterous,  careless  and  indo- 
lent in  learning.  When  taken  to  task  and  an  appeal  being 
made  to  his  better  nature,  he  admitted  that  he  had  done 
wrong,  and  asked  penitently  to  be  pardoned.  But  the  im- 
provement did  not  last.  In  the  summer  of  1895  a  most  un- 
satisfactory spirit  began  to  manifest  itself  among  the  young 
people.  Unreliability  and  lying  became  the  order  of  the  day. 
Even  good  girls  like  Muabura  and  Mumbi  required  to  be 
set  right.  But  the  worst  of  all  was  Fikirimi.  When  pun- 
ished for  misconduct  in  September,  he  became  impudent. 
Then  it  was  suggested  to  him,  that  he  had  better  consider 
whether  it  would  not  be  best  for  him  to  leave  the  station. 
He  was  old  enough  and  strong  enough  to  take  care  of  him- 
self. But  once  more  he  begged  to  be  forgiven  and  to  be 
kept.     Moreover,  he  said,  he  still  wished  to  learn  of  Jesus. 

But  this  was  only  the  quiet  before  a  storm.  In  the  same 
month  evidences  of  immorality  among  boys  and  girls  came 
to  light,  and  in  these  cases  Fikirimi  was  the  one  who  had 


DISAPPOINTMENTS.  121 

led  others  astray.  Punishments  made  only  a  passing  im- 
pression. Then  suddenly  one  morning  four  boys,  one  of 
whom  was  Fikirimi,  were  missing,  and  with  them  one  of 
the  Tanganyika  women,  the  mother  of  one  of  these  boys. 
When  the  disappearance  became  known,  the  two  other  Tan- 
ganyika women  offered  to  search  for  their  country-woman 
and  bring  her  back.  The  missionaries  said  to  them:  "So, 
you  also  want  to  leave.  Do  not  imagine  that  you  deceive 
us.  Well  then,  go."  With  them  there  also  left  two  boys 
and  one  girl — true,  in  an  orderly  manner,  after  taking  fare- 
well. 

But  now  an  indescribable  epidemic  seemed  to  have  seized 
the  rest.  Even  those  wanted  to  leave  who  had  no  home 
and  no  relatives.  The  ex-slave  women  who  had  married 
men  of  Rungwe  now  left  with  their  husbands.  Among 
these  was  the  cook,  Muarupia.  who  disappeared  with  his 
wife.  But  the  keenest  disappointment  was  felt  in  the  case 
of  the  girl,  Muabura.  She  had  been  like  a  child  in  the  fam- 
ily of  Meyer.  Moreover  she  had  been  pledged  in  betrothal 
to  a  faithful  and  reliable  workman  at  the  station,  Mera.  A 
house  had  been  built  for  the  young  couple  and  her  outfit  was 
ready.  Mera  happened  to  be  absent  in  a  visit,  but  was  ex- 
pected to  return  soon.  But  nothing  could  keep  Muabura. 
Representations  of  all  kinds  made  no  impression  on  her 
fixed  determination  to  leave.  She  conducted  herself  in  so 
rude  a  manner  that  one  would  have  hardly  thought  it  pos- 
sible. Her  very  countenance  took  on  itself  an  expression 
of  wildness  and  obstinacy.  All  that  she  had  received  whilst 
in  service,  she  took  with  her,  except  the  bridal  dress,  sewn 
by  Meyer's  wife.  W^ithout  a  word  of  thanks  for  kindnesses 
experienced  she  went  oft'  with  a  young  fellow  and  flaunted 
her  independence.  Later  on  the  sad  news  reached  the  sta- 
tion that  she  was  consorting  with  white  men  on  the  r^ad  to 
Lake  Tanganyika. 

But  not  only  the  husbands  of  former  slave-women  left 
the  station  at  this  time.  Among  those  who  now  separated 
from  the  missionaries  were  such  who  had  come  with  them 
to  Rungwe  and  by  settling  there  liad  apparently  fully  iden- 


122  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

tified  themselves  with  the  mission.  Mera,  for  example, 
never  returned  from  his  visit.  And  others,  who  had  hith- 
erto been  considered  wholly  reliable,  laid  down  their  work 
and  left.  Of  all  the  former  slaves,  only  seven  remained, 
and  these  children.  They,  too,  would  have  preferred  to  go, 
but  learning  nothing  about  their  former  home  and  relatives, 
made  the  best  of  it  and  remained.  Some  of  them  have  since 
opened  their  hearts  to  receive  the  truth,  but  this  could  not 
be  said  of  all,  though  their  conduct  in  future  gave  no  special 
cause  for  complaint. 

That  this  bitter  disappointment  in  connection  with  the 
ex-slaves,  was  felt  most  keenly  by  the  missionaries,  goes 
with  the  saying.  They  would  not  have  been  human  other- 
wise. And  yet  in  and  of  itself  it  should  not  be  regarded  as 
wholly  surprising.  The  most  loving,  sympathetic  treatment 
meted  out  to  children  of  the  wilderness,  no  more  accus- 
tomed to  restraint  than  the  wild  animals  of  their  forests, 
could  not  compensate  for  liberty  to  do  and  act  as  they  liked 
on  their  own  passionate  impulse,  so  long  as  the  self -accepted 
control  of  conscience  was  unknown  and  the  willing  subju- 
gation of  whims  and  wishes  to  God's  holy  law^  and  gracious 
purposes  had  not  really  taken  place.  Other  missionary  or- 
ganizations in  German  East  Africa  also  made  disappointing 
experiences  with  freed  slaves.  Of  those  who  were  brought 
to  the  Berlin  station,  Manow,  even  fewer  remained  there 
permanently.  The  East  African  Missionary  Society  had  to 
tell  a  similar  tale  of  its  experiences  at  Kisserawe,  near  Da- 
ressalam. Indeed  such  a  crisis  may  sometimes  be  whole- 
some— at  least  for  the  mission  concerned.  When  it  was 
asked,  what  drove  the  ex-slaves  to  leave  in  so  thankless  a 
manner,  the  reply  must  be:  "They  themselves  saw  clearly 
that  an  alternative  was  placed  before  them.  Either  they 
must  completely  break  with  sin  and  renounce  its  service, 
and  become  genuine  followers  of  Jesus — or  leave  Rungwe. 
The  former  alternative  they  were  by  no  means  willing  to 
embrace.  Therefore  they  left,  since  it  was  no  longer  pos- 
sible to  remain  and  be  both  for  and  against  Christ."     For 


1) I SA  I' l'( )  I  N T  M  1'.  X  TS.  1 2^ 

Rungwe  itself  the  experience  proved  a  blessing  in  disguise. 
Since  the  Spring  of  1896  this  station  has  rejoiced  in  inner 
prosperity.  The  W^ord  of  God  could  do  purifying  work. 
The  converts  recognized  the  need  of  loyal  whole-hearted- 
ness,  that  their  light  might  shine. 


124  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  GOSPEL  EFFECTIVE  IN  NYASALAND. 

If  in  these  twenty  years  there  have  been  hindrances  many 
and  formidable  to  be  overcome  and  disappointments  keen 
and  sore  to  be  endured,  on  the  other  hand  triumphs  have 
made  glad  the  heart  of  the  missionary.  How  confirma- 
tive of  his  own  faith,  to  note  that  the  soul  of  the  one-time 
savage,  the  child  of  the  wilderness,  cradled  in  dark  super- 
stitions, responds  in  practically  the  same  way  as  his  own 
to  the  message  of  divine  love !  How  the  inspiration  of 
Scripture  is  verified  for  him  in  witnessing  its  effecting  es- 
sentially the  same  gracious  work  here  as  it  did  for  him  and 
his  companions  in  the  Christian  land  of  their  boyhood !  He 
rejoices  to  note  the  emergence  of  a  sensitive  conscience  and 
of  a  gradually  well-rounded  character,  where  once  heathen- 
ism had  deadened  the  one  and  distorted  the  other.  Mean- 
time a  spirit  of  tenderness  and  helpfulness  gradually  be- 
comes perceptible  among  a  formerly  selfish  and  callous 
people,  and  the  conception  of  benevolence  follows  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course.  Time  was,  when  a  Christian  won  from  Af- 
rican heathenism,  if  urged  at  a  time  of  leisure  to  go  help 
some  one  who  was  infirm,  could  reply  with  a  look  of  aston- 
ishment: "What!  shall  I  help  another  for  nothing^"  But 
now  it  would  amaze,  if  a  Christian  could  put  such  a  ques- 
tion. The  old  bad  customs  of  heathenism  are  gradually 
passing.  No  longer  can  shrewd  witch-doctors  with  impunity 
build  their  practice  of  fraudulent  mummeries  on  a  super- 
stitious fear  of  the  spirits  of  the  departed.  Mourning  as 
those  who  have  no  hope,  is  less  prevalent.  A  reading  and 
writing  public  is  emerging.  Scholars  are  flocking  by  the 
thousands  into  the  mission  schools.  The  government  wel- 
comes a  native  Christian  as  a  teacher  of  natives  at  the  seat 
of  authority  for  the  district,  New  Langenburg.  New  wants 
are  being  created,  as  life  is  being  lifted  to  a  higher  plane. 
The  sense  of  decency  and  a  regard  for  cleanliness  are  be- 
ginning to  show  their  effects  in  the  dress  and  the  homes  of 


CHURCH    IN    RUTENGANIO. 


THE    GOSPEL    EFFECTIVE    IN    NYASALAND.  125 

the  people.  Slave  raiding  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  With  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil  and  the  planting  of  useful  trees,  as 
well  as  the  development  of  unsuspected  resources  hitherto 
lying  dormant,  a  development  rendered  possible  by  the 
gradual  introduction  of  means  of  transportation,  there  en- 
ters into  the  life  of  those  who  once  were  savages  the  thought 
of  acquiring  for  a  future  day  overagainst  possible  scarcity, 
.and  the  conception  of  economy  with  all  that  it  involves. 

Over  and  over  again  the  genuineness  of  the  conversion 
of  men  has  been  attested  by  their  willingness  to  endure 
Tiardness  even  in  order  to  enlist  as  soldiers  of  Christ.  Espe- 
cially among  the  Basafwa,  men  have  had  to  put  up  with 
much  from  their  stubbornly  heathen  wives,  when  resolving 
to  be  candidates  for  baptism.  Over  and  over  again  such 
women  have  forsaken  their  husbands,  because  they  con- 
templated taking  this  step,  and  girls  have  declared  that  they 
would  marry  no  man  connected  with  the  mission.  Some- 
times the  relatives  of  the  wife  have  conspired  with  her.  In 
the  early  part  of  1909  a  candidate  for  baptism  came  one  day 
in  a  state  of  excitement,  and  told  the  missionary  at  Uten- 
^ule,  that  during  the  preceding  night  his  brother-in-law  had 
cut  ofif  a  portion  of  his  girdle  and  a  friend  had  severed 
some  of  his  hair,  in  order  to  secure  these  articles  that  by 
means  of  them  some  sort  of  sorcery  might  be  practiced 
•against  him.  Mutavulwa,  the  last  descendant  of  the  family 
of  the  chief  priests  of  the  Banyika,  well  on  in  the  fifties, 
after  a  troubled  life,  much  of  which  had  been  spent  in 
flight  before  the  Bangoni  and  the  Basango,  had  at  last  found 
a  refuge  in  Tvungu.  But  here  his  heart  found  no  rest  until 
"he  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Mbozi  and  sought  baptism.  ITow 
his  countrymen  hated  him  for  this !  Undeterred,  he  faith- 
fully made  use  of  every  opportunity  for  instruction  and 
was  baptized.  In  his  last  sickness  his  former  heathen 
friends  shunned  him.  Loneliness  was  his  lot.  Finally  he 
asked  for  a  hut  at  the  station  and  this  was  granted  him. 
It  was  apparent  that  his  end  was  approaching,  and  at  that 
rapidly.  At  the  last  visit  of  the  missionary,  he  once  more 
•confessed  his  sins,  and  though  he  wept  at  the  thought  of 


126  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

having  to  leave  his  children,  added  as  his  conviction:  "I 
have  the  fixed  assurance,  that  Jesus  will  receive  me."  At 
his  death,  his  former  heathen  friends  would  have  been  glad 
to  honor  him  in  connection  with  his  funeral.  They  wished 
to  lay  his  body  to  rest  in  a  manner  deemed  fitting  by  them, 
adorned  with  the  insignia  of  a  chief  and  with  the  crest  of 
feathers  and  frontlet  of  beads  on  his  forehead.  But  though 
they  sought  for  these,  they  could  not  be  found.  Evidently 
Mutavulwa  had  destroyed  these  ornaments  prior  to  his 
baptism,  as  inconsistent  with  a  profession  of  the  faith. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  apprehension  of  the  essen- 
tials of  the  Gospel,  when  the  people  translate  it  as  it  were 
into  forms  that  correspond  to  their  own  figurative  mode  of 
thought,  and  so  apply  it  the  more  thoroughly  to  their  own 
lives.  The  old  people  and  especially  the  old  women  are- 
very  reticent  and  can  scarcely  be  brought  to  make  replies, 
when  questions  are  put  to  them  in  connection  with  catechiza- 
tion  in  the  church.  House  to  house  visits,  however,  may 
bring  to  light,  that  even  these  duller  minds  have  apprehended 
what  is  essential  in  the  most  important  truths.  When 
Bachmann  once  asked  old  Mutavulwa,  "If  some  one  said  to- 
you,  Mutavulwa,  Do  tell  me,  what  is  the  Holy  Communion  ?' 
what  would  you  answer  him?"  he  replied:  'T  should  say  to 
him.  If  you  want  to  know  this,  you  must  go  to  somebody 
who  knows  about  it."  Caution  and  shrewdness  mingled 
there.  But  when  Bachmann  said  to  Imwagile,  an  old  wo- 
man:  'T  suppose  you  do  not  understand  anything  of  what 
I  say  at  church,  because  you  never  give  answers,"  she  re- 
plied. "Well,  we  do  understand,  but  we  can  not  express  our- 
selves, and  that  makes  us  ashamed."  "But  now,  we  are- 
quite  alone,  and  last  Sunday's  story  was  so  short  and  easy. 
how  was  it?  Tell  me."  Looking  at  the  missionary  a  little 
while,  she  then  said,  "There  was  a  man,  who  had  leprosy. 
He  came  to  Jesus,  and  saluting  Him,  said:  'Cook  me  some- 
thing.' Jesus  said.  T  will  do  it.'  "  There  the  missionary  was 
unconsciously  set  right  by  the  old  woman.  It  is  often  the 
fault  of  the  speaker,  rather  than  of  the  hearer,  if  something 
is   misunderstood.      Bachmann   mav   have    used    the    word 


THE    GOSPEL    EFl-ECTUE    IN     X  VASAI.AND.  127 

"cleanse,"  as  in  the  original  and  most  of  the  versions.  And 
the  word  "cleanse"  may  be  used  in  the  Kinyika  if  it  is  ap- 
plied to  transgressions,  faults,  etc.  But  if  the  healing  of 
an  illness  is  meant,  it  can  not  be  used.  Since  in  Nyasa  all 
medicines  must  be  boiled  or  "cooked,"  in  as  much  as  ready- 
prepared  extracts  are  not  to  be  had,  and  since  Imwagile 
knew  that  the  man  wanted  to  be  cured  of  his  (Hsease,  from 
her  point  of  view,  he  could  not  have  asked  "Cleanse  me," 
but  must  have  said.  "Cook  me  something."  The  essential 
features  of  the  miracle  of  healing  had  been  apprehended  by 
her,  and  she  expressed  herself  in  a  genuinely  African  man- 
ner. Another  woman-  also  named  Imwagile  has  had  a  very 
varied  life  and  has  passed  through  all  manner  of  exper- 
iences. For  many  years  she  was  a  slave  of  oMerere  and 
knows  captivity  from  her  own  experience.  She  was  freed 
by  her  husband,  Alwegikundeha,  who  eloped  with  her  in 
order  to  marry  her.  Since  she  has  become  a  Christian  she 
knows  how  to  apply  the  new  truth  to  him  as  well  as  to  her- 
self. Once  when  employed  by  the  mission  as  a  wood-cutter, 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  complaining  how  hard  his  work  was, 
and  would  moan  out  at  night  that  he  could  not  sleep  for 
fatigue.  One  day  he  related  to  the  missionary  the  following 
dialogue,  whicli  he  liad  the  previous  night  with  his  wife. 
He  began:  "Imwagile,  my  wife,  said  to  me,  'Alwegikundeha, 
how  was  the  storv  of  the  Children  of  Israel ;  had  they  not 
been  carried  away  prisoners  by  King  Xebuchadnezzar,  and 
were  they  not  compelled  to  work  in  Babylon?'  'Yes,'  I  said 
to  Imwagile,  my  wife.  I  said  that  they  had  to  work  until 
God  delivered  them.  'Oh.  so  I'jng  they  were  compelled  to 
do  the  work,  which  they  did  not  search  for,  but  which  they 
were  forced  to  do?  Was  it  really  so?'  asked  Imwagile,  my 
wife.  'Yes,'  I  said,  'so  it  was.'  'Oh,  that's  well,'  said  Im- 
wagile, my  wife,  'but  T  must  ask  you  something  else.  >Mweg- 
ikundeha.  my  husband.  Please  tell  me,  how  does  the  new 
hymn  go,  which  we  sing  at  church  to  the  accompaniment  of 
the  violin?'  Then  I  said  to  Imwagile:  'Imwagile,  my  wife, 
you  know  very  well  how  it  runs.  It  runs :  When  the  Lord 
will  deliver  the  prisoners  of  Zion,  then  we  shall  be  like  the 


128  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

dreaming  ones.'  'Yes,  so  it  is,'  said  Imwagile,  my  wife,  'but 
you,  Mwegikundeha,  my  husband,  tell  me  once  again :  Who 
shall  deliver  the  prisoners?'  'God  will  deliver  them,'  I  said 
to  Imwagile,  my  wife.  Then  Imwagile  said  to  me,  she  said: 
'You,  Mwegikundeha,  my  husband,  tell  me,  who  has  com- 
pelled you  to  go  to  Mbozi  and  to  work  there?  Have  you 
not  gone  of  your  own  free  will  ?  Did  you  not  ask  for  work 
yourself  ?  Why  will  you  throw  ofif  the  work  for  which  you 
asked,  as  if  it  had  been  forced  upon  you?  Did  we  learn  in 
the  course  of  instruction  and  do  we  sing  it  in  church  :  The 
Children  of  Israel  waited  upon  God?  What  do  you  want 
to  do?'  Then  I  said',  'Yes,  you  are  right,  my  wife,  Imwagile. 
I  shall  go  to  the  master  and  tell  him  that  we  were  not  right 
in  complaining  of  the  work,  and  had  in  our  minds  to  leave 
it.'  " 

As  in  Christendom,  so  here  triumphant  deaths  can  be  re- 
corded to  the  glory  of  God.  For  example,  during  the  sec- 
ond quarter  of  1910  the  first  adult  Christian  in  Isoko  was 
laid  to  rest  in  the  churchyard  there,  to  await  a  glorious  res- 
urrection. During  his  last  illness  the  Christians  had  visited 
Samueli  daily,  and  his  relatives  were  with  him.  Calmly  and 
with  absolute  assurance  he  said  to  them :  "I  am  going  to 
Paradise."  Then  he  exhorted  those  present :  "Do  not  delay 
to  follow  God's  Word.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  there," 
During  the  third  quarter  of  the  same  year,  whilst  the  evan- 
gelists Inangisye  and  Undule  were  visiting  certain  villages 
in  the  valley  of  the  Songwe,  they  found  in  one  of  them  a 
woman,  whose  body  was  covered  with  ulcerations.  The 
people  of  the  place  gave  as  the  ground  of  the  illness,  "The 
spirits  of  the  dead  have  looked  upon  her — that  is,  have  pun- 
ished her."  The  evangelists  conversed  with  her,  and  learned 
that  these  terrible  sores  had  followed  the  birth  of  her  first 
child.  She  knew  very  well  what  her  countrymen  said  of 
her,  but  she  declared,  "No,  Jesus  has  looked  down  upon 
me."  The  evangelists  comforted  her,  and  urged  her  to  pray 
to  the  Good  Physician ;  even  if  He  was  not  pleased  to  heal 
her  here,  her  illness  could  not  be  taken  with  her  to  heaven. 


THE    GOSPEL    EFFECTI\-E    IN    NVASALAND.  129 

jMusonga  and  Nachila  were  man  and  wife  in  Mbozi — a 
pitiable  couple  in  many  respects.  For  ten  long  years  the 
former  was  paralyzed  in  his  arms  and  legs.  In  1901,  at 
the  desire  of  the  wife  they  removed  to  the  station.  The 
missionary,  Bachmann,  made  a  chair  for  him,  on  which  he 
was  carried  to  the  church.  Happily  poor  Musonga  was  for 
the  most  part  free  from  pain  ;  but  when  the  sufferings  came, 
they  were  so  severe,  that  thoughts  of  suicide  were  not  ab- 
sent. Fortunate  it  was  for  him,  that  he  made  a  confidant  of 
the  missionary,  so  that  the  latter  warned  and  comforted  and 
encouraged  him  to  endure,  until  it  should  be  God's  will  to 
release  him.  And  he  did  endure.  His  w-ife,  remarkably 
strong  physically,  appeared  to  be  somewhat  slow  of  com- 
prehension and  did  not  understand  much  that  was  said  to 
her — at  least  so  it  seemed — but  cared  for  her  husband  with 
touching  fidelity  and  affection,  so  that  the  missionary  was 
often  amazed.  Nor  was  the  reason  of  their  removal  to 
Mbozi  a  common  one.  It  revealed  a  hateful  custom  of  the 
land.  The  end  of  her  husband  had  for  years  already  been 
reckoned  with,  and  a  new  husband  had  been  selected  for 
her,  a  relative,  who  should  take  her  to  his  home,  when 
death  really  came.  But  the  wife  of  this  intended  w^as  on 
no  friendly  footing  with  Nachila  and  treated  her  with  the 
animosity  with  which  polygamous  wives  of  one  and  the 
same  man  often  treat  each  other :  they  bite  one  another's 
fingers  till  they  become  stiff  and  useless.  In  this  present 
case,  however,  the  jealous  wife  had  bitten  not  the  finger  but 
the  lobe  of  the  ear,  so  that  an  ear-ring  could  no  longer  be 
worn.  Her  plea  to  be  permitted  to  remove  to  Mbozi,  where 
she  felt  that  she  would  be  safe,  could  not  at  first  be  granted, 
for  her  husband  withheld  his  consent.  Finally,  since  the 
strife  of  the  women  did  not  cease,  he  assented.  Both  hus- 
band and  wife  presented  themselves  as  candidates  for  bap- 
tism, and  received  preparatory  instruction ;  but  the  mis- 
sionary could  not  bring  himself  to  administer  the  ordinance 
at  the  close  of  the  instruction,  since  the  wife  allowed  her- 
self to  fall  into  wordy  strife  with  a  neighboring  woman. 
Now  Nachila  fell  ill,  and  her  ailment  took  a  serious  turn. 


130  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

Ill  fact  Bachmann  felt  it  his  duty  to  prepare  her  for  the 
probabihty  of  death.  On  being  told  that  her  end  might  be 
near,  she  replied:  "That  may  well  be."  "Then  whither  will 
you  go?"  "To  the  Lord,"  came  the  response.  "To  which 
Lord?"  was  the  counter-question.  "To  God,"  declared  the 
dying  woman.  "Yes,  but  will  God  receive  you?  You  know 
that  He  is  holy."  Then  came  the  clear  and  joyful  reply, 
"God  will  receive  me,  for  Jesus  has  redeemed  me."  More- 
over her  replies  were  given  in  so  assured  a  manner,  that 
Bachmann  felt  she  knew  Whom  she  believed,  and  that  these 
were  no  empty  words  but  the  confession  of  a  faith  that  was 
an  actual  possession.  That  baptism  should  no  longer  be  re- 
fused her.  was  not  only  his  conviction,  but  that  of  his  wife 
and  of  the  native  evangelist,  Mavwila.  The  last  named 
went  to  Musonga,  to  ask  his  view  of  the  case.  His  reply, 
in  which  his  wife  concurred,  was  to  the  effect :  "We  have 
long  since  longed  to  be  baptized,  but  the  missionary  thought 
it  best  that  we  should  wait,  li  he  will  now  baptize  us,  we 
shall  rejoice  with  all  our  hearts."  In  the  presence  of  a 
number  of  Christians  both  man  and  wife  were  baptized,  he 
choosing  for  himself  the  name  Amfwilje,  that  is  "He  died 
for  me."  and  she,  Ampoha,  that  is,  "He  has  delivered  me." 
Next  morning  Sister  Bachmann  found  Ampora  appar- 
ently a  little  better.  During  the  visit  the  old  woman  sud- 
denlv  reached  out  her  hand  and  grasped  the  hand  of  the 
missionary's  wife,  and  said  in  such  a  tone  of  conviction,  that 
it  startled  her,  "I  am  delivered."  That  was  her  last  word. 
In  about  an  hour  she  had  fallen  asleep.  For  poor  Musonga 
and  his  three  children  it  was  a  terrible  blow.  His  sorrow 
seemed  to  master  him  at  first.  Incited  thereto  by  another 
man,  he  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  terrible  outcries  during 
the  funeral  service.  But  the  next  day  quiet  tears  had  taken 
the  place  of  paroxysms  of  grief.  He  told  the  missionary 
that  Ampoha  had  appeared  to  him  and  had  admonished  him 
to  be  patient,  since  he  would  not  have  to  wait  long,  before  he 
would  also  come  to  Paradise,  where  it  was  very  lovely. 
Indeed  he  declared  that  he  had  heard  this  message  several 
times.     How  much  of  it  was  a  dream,  and  how  much  of  it 


THE    GOSPEL    EFFECTIVE    IX    X  VASALA  ND.  \3l 

fancy,  (-ir  whether  he  was  granted  a  special  revelation — who 
can  tell?  In  actual  fact  his  days  were  numbered.  Very- 
severe  headaches  set  in.  They  had  lasted  some  ten  days, 
when  he  sent  for  his  missionary  in  order  to  communicate 
to  him  his  last  wishes.  After  he  had  made  disposition  of 
his  cattle  and  had  expressed  his  desire  in  reference  to  his 
children.  Bachmann  said :  "You  have  often  longed  for  the 
hour  in  which  Jesus  will  call  you  to  Himself.  Now  the  hour 
appears  to  be  near.  Are  you  quite  sure  that  He  will  re- 
ceive you?"  He  gave  his  adviser  a  look  full  of  joy,  and  hope 
and  certitude  of  victory  and  said:  "Do  you  think  I  have  any 
doubt  ?  I  know  Whom  I  believe,  and  that  He  died  for  me." 
But  he  had  to  wait  several  days  longer.  Soon  he  lost  his 
power  of  speech,  and  took  little  interest  in  what  went  on 
about  him.  When  the  missionary  came,  he  looked  at  him, 
as  if  to  sa}^  "You  have  nothing  more  to  say  to  me,  nor  I  to 
you ;  we  have  already  taken  leave  of  each  other."  So  he 
lay  there,  like  one  who  waits  quietly  and  in  resignation  for 
the  coming  of  his  Lord  in  the  consciousness,  "I  do  not  wait 
in  vain,  He  will  certainly  come,  and  soon."  Who  that  knew 
them,  could  doubt  that  both  Musonga  and  his  wife  fell  asleep 
in  Jesus? 

Moreover  this  apprehension  of  the  essentials  of  the  Gos- 
pel message  is  sometimes  connected  with  a  deep  concern  for 
the  welfare  of  relatives.  A  young  woman,  Imugulilye,  one 
day  replied  to  her  missionary's  question,  "How  are  you?" 
in  one  and  the  same  breath,  "I  am  well ;  but  I  am  mourning." 
"You  are  well,  but  you  are  mourning?  How  is  that  possi- 
ble?" "Shall  I  not  mourn,  if  my  mother  who  has  promised 
to  follow  Jesus,  will  not  abandon  the  old  evil  way?  And 
now  she  wants  my  sister  to  follow  her."  Then-  she  con- 
tinued, "I  told  her  to  no  longer  cleave  to  that  which  is  not 
fit  to  speak  about,  and  especially  urged  her  not  to  hold  the 
child  to  that  which  is  evil.  I  asked  my  mother  why  she 
had  abandoned  our  services,  but  she  did  not  answer  me. 
After  that  T  went  to  my  own  home  and  cried  the  whole  night 
about  mv  mother." 


132  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

With  all  the  imperfections  that  cling  to  many,  children 
rather  than  men  in  Christ  though  many  yet  remain,  the 
fruits  of  a  godly  life  are  shown  in  the  confession  and  putting 
away  of  sin  and  in  the  removal  of  animosity  and  enmity, 
that  once  darkened  their  lives.  One  man,  Bushi,  that  is 
"honey,"  by  name,  a  candidate  for  baptism,  confessed  with 
bitter  penitence  to  have  killed  a  man  some  years  before  he 
received  the  Gospel  message,  and  it  evidently  cost  him  a 
great  struggle  to  unbosom  his  heart.  Now  he  took  a  stand 
for  Jesus,  who  i  emoved  the  burden  from  his  conscience,  and 
look  his  stand  for  Him  in  a  whole-hearted  way,  giving  up 
the  girl  for  whom  he  had  been  working  in  order  to  purchase 
her  in  accordance  with  the  usage  of  his  people,  since  she 
would  not  follow  him  in  his  confession  of  Jesus  and  her 
father  bade  him  choose  between  her  and  his  Lord.  A  cer- 
tain Swito  had  a  feud  with  his  own  brother  prior  to  his  be- 
coming a  Christian.  By  the  woman's  own  wish,  he  had 
married  the  wife  of  another  brother,  who  had  fallen  at  the 
hands  of  hostile  tribesmen.  In  accordance  with  the  usage 
of  the  clan  another  brother  should  have  taken  her  to  wife, 
but  she  had  preferred  Swito.  The  offended  brother  made 
off  with  a  daughter  by  the  first  marriage,  by  stealth  or  force, 
and  kept  her  with  the  intention  of  making  her  his  wife. 
But  one  day  Swito  came  to  his  missionary  and  said:  "I  am 
going  to  my  brother  now  in  order  to  become  reconciled  to 
him.  If  he  kills  me,  well  and  good."  But  the  might  of 
Christian  consistency  prevailed.  Reconciliation  put  an  end 
to  strife. 

Conscientiousness  and  honesty  have  blossomed  out  and 
faithfulness  in  little  things  has  testified  to  the  genuineness 
of  the  work  of  grace.  Early  in  the  history  of  Mbozi  the 
goats  belonging  to  the  station  were  sold  to  natives,  because 
it  did  not  prove  profitable  to  the  missionaries  to  keep  them. 
The  people  could  not  pay  for  them  at  once.  Most  of  the 
purchasers  made  good  their  debts  in  the  course  of  time, 
paying  by  installments.  But  certain  small  sums  remained 
outstanding,  and  were  forgotten  by  the  missionaries,  since 
the  goats  themselves  were  carried  off  by  an  epidemic  two 


THE  GOSPEL   EFFECTUI':    IN    X VASAF.AND.  \?>3> 

years  later.  Still  later,  however,  when  he  became  a  candi- 
date for  baptism,  Daniel  brought  the  missionary  a  rupee, 
with  the  explanation  that  his  goat  had  not  been  fully  paid 
for ;  and  shortly  after  another  Christian  came  forward  with 
half  a  rupee,  stating  that  Bachmann  had  lent  it  him  four 
years  before.  The  missionary  himself  had  forgotten  the 
small  debt. 

Superstitions  and  the  foolish  evil  usages  rooted  in  them 
die  very  slowly.  That  is  the  universal  experience  of  mis- 
sionary workers  in  every  land.  Born  of  ignorance  and  a 
servile  fear  of  an  unknown  God,  whose  passions  are  im- 
agined to  be  those  of  a  superhuman  man  and  whose  acts  are 
supposed  to  be  those  of  an  arbitrary  being  hostile  to  human 
happiness  but  approachable  by  bribery  in  the  form  of  the 
sacrifice  of  a  part  of  a  pleasure  that  he  may  permit  the  re- 
mainder of  that  which  is  desired,  superstition  is  nourished 
by  misdirected  religiousness  and  by  deep  restlessness  of  the 
soul  that  has  not  found  inner  peace.  wSeizing  on  the  out- 
ward, that  which  appeals  to  the  imagination  and  is  wholly 
dissociated  from  the  actually  moral,  it  fastens  on  rites  and 
ceremonies  as  though  they  were  the  real  and  essential  in 
man's  relationship  to  God.  Hence  its  complete  removal 
marks  a  late  stage  in  the  Christianization  of  a  people.  And 
yet  even  the  earlier  stages  of  the  evangelization  of  a  heathen 
land  will  show  that  its  power  is  waning.  Gradually  the 
credulous  reliance  in  the  occult  power  supposed  to  inhere  in 
trivial  usages  ceases  to  be  general.  Customs  that  have  had 
the  sanction  of  hoary  habit  fall  into  abeyance,  as  Christian 
intelligence  gains  in  intensity  and  advances  in  breadth  of 
sway.  This  is  being  experienced  in  German  East  Africa. 
A  mighty  blow  was  dealt  the  sway  of  ancient  misbelief,  when 
Bachmann,  needing  iron  in  connection  with  the  erection  of 
the  station  at  Mbozi,  persuaded  an  iron-master,  who  had 
become  a  Christian,  to  build  a  smelting  furnace  and  light  its 
fires  without  recourse  to  the  formulas  of  the  olden  time, 
which  he  himself  when  a  heathen  had  supposed  to  be  neces- 
sary in  order  to  appease  the  spirits  presiding  over  the  con- 
10 


134  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

version  of  ore  into  metal.  The  whole  country-side  looked 
on  in  wonder,  prophesying  failure  and  all  manner  of  disas- 
ter. But,  lo!  the  fire  kindled  successfully  and  the  molten 
flow  resulted  in  metal  of  the  most  desirable  quality,  and 
nothing  untoward  transpired.  Clearly  the  blessing  of  Al- 
mighty God  was  the  most  essential  thing — not  the  appeasing 
of  imaginary  ghostly  powers. 

In  October,  1907,  a  witch-doctor,  who  had  been  made 
receptive  of  the  Gospel  by  painful  lessons  in  his  own  fam- 
ily, came  to  Zeeb  at  Isoko,  desiring  instruction  for  baptism 
and  permission  to  live  at  the  station  that  he  might  hear  the 
Gospel.  In  the  course  of  conversation  the  missionary  re- 
ferred to  his  implements  of  sorcery.  He  replied :  "Our 
custom  has  ceased ;  I  make  no  more  use  of  those  things." 
The  sequel  was  a  voluntary  surrender  of  these  implements 
to  the  missionary.  This  man  was  the  eldest  son  of  a  witch- 
doctor, and  his  younger  brother  likewise  broke  with  the 
dark  superstitions  of  the  past,  for  one  evening,  whilst  their 
father  was  praying  to  the  spirits  of  their  ancestors,  the  latter 
said :  "Father,  do  you  not  note,  that  the  dead  do  not  hear 
us  ?  Do  you  not  know,  that  we  should  pray  only  to  God  ?" 
"Yes,"  came  the  reply;  "but  this  I  learnt  from  my  father, 
and  can  not  give  it  up.  But  if  you  do  not  want  to  hold  to 
our  customs,  I  have  nothing  against  it."  Kootz  in  Utengule, 
relates  how  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1910,  Walwitho, 
one  of  the  eldest  Christians  in  the  village,  was  pointed  out 
to  him  as  secretly  clinging  to  his  former  arts  as  a  medicine- 
man. When  he  spoke  very  plainly  in  the  church  about  cer- 
tain sins,  which  some  of  the  men  had  confessed,  this  Wal- 
witho flared  up  at  first  in  anger  against  those  who  had 
plucked  up  courage  to  bring  his  dark  practices  to  light.  But 
on  the  following  day  the  missionary  succeeded  in  convincing 
him  how  sinful  his  position  was,  and  how  Christ's  cause  was 
suffering  from  his  ambiguous  life.  He  and  his  wife  willing- 
ly placed  themselves  under  the  requirements  of  the  Church 
discipline.  But  the  missionary  went  a  step  farther  and 
urged  him  not  merely  to  throw  his  implements  of  sorcery 
into  the  grass,  but  to  destroy  them  in  the  presence  of  wit- 


THE  GOSPEL  EEFECTIVE  IN    NVASALAND.  135 

nesses.  Merely  to  throw  the  things  away,  would  be  to  lay 
temptation  in  the  way  of  others.  These  words  were  effect- 
ive. On  the  eighteenth  of  September  the  men  brought  three 
baskets  full  of  implements  of  sorcery  to  the  missionary, 
collected  in  the  houses  of  the  people,  that  they  might  be 
publicly  burnt.  Then  followed  a  unique  service  in  the  yard 
of  the  mission  house.  The  native  Christians  themselves 
threw  into  the  fire  the  objects  that  had  enslaved  their  hearts. 
As  the  fire  died  down  the  missionary  addressed  words  of 
admonition  to  them  and  concluded  with  a  prayer. 

In  general  Christian  usages  are  taking  the  place  of  for- 
mer heathen  rites.  Girls,  daughters  of  church  members,  on 
reaching  womanhood,  are  given  a  voice  in  the  selection  of 
their  husband.  Church  weddings  are  the  order  of  the  day 
at  the  stations.  Harvest  festivals,  with  the  offering  of  pro- 
duce for  the  furtherance  of  Christ's  cause  and  for  the  relief 
of  the  poor  have  become  a  regular  institution.  Stated  and 
systematic  beneficence  is  inculcated.  Burials  are  conducted 
according  to  Christian  rites.  Homes  are  beginning  to  be 
centers  where  Christian  graces  find  opportunity  to  flourish. 
Marital  devotion  becomes  possible,  where  monogamy  has 
displaced  the  polygamous  relation  of  former  days. 

The  devotedness  and  the  intelligent  services  of  the  corps 
of  native  evangelists  are  among  the  choicest  fruits  of  mis- 
sionary labor  in  Nyasaland.  That  German  East  Africa 
shall  be  won  for  Christ  by  Africans — of  this  their  number 
and  their  efficiency  may  well  be  regarded  as  a  pledge.  How 
they  are  willing  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  their  Lord !  The 
most  trying  experiences  they  must  endure  with  steadfast- 
ness, are  not  the  long  tramps  through  the  tangled  grasses  of 
the  jungle  and  thorny  bushes  that  tear  their  clothes  when 
they  itinerate ;  nor  the  drenching  tropical  rains,  nor  the  heat, 
cold  and  hunger,  that  weary  them,  but  the  unwillingness  of 
many  to  receive  their  message,  and  the  mockery  of  some, 
who  would  expose  their  message  to  ridicule.  Often  the 
retort  is  made:  "How  can  we  listen,  when  the  chieftain  of 
the  village  is  absent?"  that  is,  "How  can  we  give  ear  to  you, 
when  the  whole  village  refuses  to  hear?"     Women  say: 


136  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

"How  can  we  hear  you,  when  our  men  will  not?"  Men  offer 
the  pretext,  "How  can  we  receive  your  words,  when  our 
wives  will  not?"  Some  seek  to  discourage  the  evangelists 
with  these  words:  "What  sort  of  a  man  is  Mwalwizi  (Bach- 
mann)  that  he  sends  you  to  our  mountains  in  such  wind 
and  rain?"  But  they  reply:  "That  is  our  affair;  we  come 
to  you,  because  we  wish  to  do  so."  When  some  of  the 
messengers  began  to  lose  heart,  one  of  them  said :  "We 
must  not  withdraw  in  a  cowardly,  way,  if  they  are  unwilling 
to  receive  God's  Word.  How  long  it  took  among  us,  till 
God's  Word  mastered  us.  At  first  it  did  not  aft'ect  us  in 
any  way ;  we  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it.  Therefore 
let  us  continue  to  work  among  these  people." 

Aye,  these  men  are  willing  to  risk  their  lives  for  Christ. 
On  June  25,  1906,  the  old  chief  from  whom  the  land  at  Ru- 
tenganio  had  been  bought  died  as  a  heathen.  Great  lament- 
ation followed,  as  was  customary.  In  the  olden  days  the 
people  of  the  tributary  villages  would  have  assembled  from 
far  and  wide.  Spear-throwing  would  have  followed,  till 
not  only  a  considerable  number  had  been  wounded,  but  at 
least  one  killed,  that  his  shade  might  attend  the  shade  of 
his  chief  in  the  world  of  the  spirits.  But  the  sons  of  the  old 
chief  came  to  Kretschmer  with  the  request  that  he  would 
hinder  the  practice.  Unable  to  go  himself,  he  sent  Gwalu- 
gano,  one  of  the  ofiicers  of  the  congregation,  that  he  might 
prevent  or  put  a  stop  to  bloodshed.  The  faithful  man  ac- 
cepted the  commission  obediently,  a  much  more  difficult 
task  for  him  than  for  a  white  man.  He  remained  at  his 
post,  exposed  to  dangers,  for  an  entire  week ;  but  did  suc- 
ceed in  preventing  loss  of  life. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  written  on  Jan.  29, 
1911.  by  the  native  evangelist  Ambilishije,  in  Mbozi,  afford 
insight  into  the  African  way  of  thought  and  disclose  the 
good  understanding  with  which  these  evangelists  meet  the 
needs  of  their  own  people. 

"Here  in  the  village  of  Chief  Mukoma,  where  I  live,  are 
a  number  who  begin  to  accept  the  faith.  Two  have  been 
baptized:  Aliane  (He  is  mine)  and  Ndonolilwe.     The  for- 


THE  GOSPEL  EFFECTIVE  IN    XVASALAND.  137 

iiier  is  a  prince ;  the  latter  was  a  woman  of  the  people.  She 
died  on  the  first  of  January,  1911.  If  the  chief,  Mukoma, 
was  only  a- prince,  he  would  have  become  a  believer.  But 
the  chieftain's  duties  and  the  usages  that  attach  to  his  chief- 
tainship hold  him  back.  Once,  when  his  son,  Aliane,  was 
conducting  the  service,  he  became  very  anxious.  He  sent 
for  his  son  afterwards  and  said :  'God's  Word  has  taken 
possession  of  you.  I  do  not  know,  what  I  shall  decide  for 
myself.  I  shall  send  for  my  councillors  and  tell  them  that 
we  will  omit  the  offerings  and  prayers  to  the  dead  for  a 
year.  If  in  this  time  it  does  not  rain,  then  we  shall  know, 
that  the  teachers  (missionaries)  have  taken  advantage  of 
us.  But  if  it  rains,  we  shall  know  that  God  is  mighty  and 
gives  us  all  things.' 

"Now  and  then  we  have  spoken  very  earnestly  with  Mu- 
koma, and  he  listens  to  us  seriously  and  sadly,  without  de- 
spising or  laughing  at  us.  lUit  the  word  about  the  end  of 
the  world  appeared  to  him  incredible  and  he  said :  'The 
world  will  not  perish ;  and  how  could  it,  it  is  so  firm.  It 
wnll  abide  as  it  has  been  formed.'  Thereupon  I  replied: 
'Hear,  O  master.  When  a  man  has  built  an  house  or  a  shed, 
if  he  wants  to  tear  down  these  buildings,  shall  they  with- 
stand him  and  say:  We  can  not  be  torn  down?'  " 

Later  passages  in  the  letter  of  Ambilishije  deal  with  the 
need  of  intercession  in  behalf  of  Mukoma.     He  continues : 

"I.  Ambilishije,  have  a  step-brother.  This  my  brother 
became  a  believer  through  Mwakalindile  (Kretschmer  ).  He 
told  me  about  God,  and  that  He  had  given  us  His  Son, 
Jesus ;  that  Jesus  had  died  for  our  sins  and  had  much  pity 
with  us.  Then  I  asked  my  brother  why  that  man  was  full 
of  pity.  He  said  that  that  was  very  good,  for  if  He  had  not 
died  for  us,  we  should  have  been  lost.  On  this  word,  I  too 
believed.  I  have  often  been  very  sad,  that  Jesus  had  so  to 
die,  without  any  one  knowing  why  I  was  sad.  And  I  loved 
Him  long  before  I  was  baptized.  Now,  when  I  think  of 
His  love,  I  long  to  be  with  Him.  Then,  when  my  brother 
began  to  tell  me  something  about  Jesus,  T  was  not  able  to 
think  httle  of  anvthing.     T  said  to  mvself:  'Who  is  it  that 


138  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

made  the  earth?  He.  And  the  heavens?  He.  No  great 
one  of  this  earth  did  that;  it  was  He,  after  Whom  already 
the  old  people  inquired,  as  I  have  heard.' 

"And  now  I  must  tell  you  something  about  Ndondolilwe. 
When  death  drew  near,  her  heart  was  already  with  God. 
Though  she  suffered  much,  she  opened  her  mouth  to  sing 
praise  to  Jesus.  Her  husband  and  her  brother  said  to  me, 
'She  sings  the  whole  night.  Once  she  said:  'Deliver  me 
from  the  men  who  would  turn  me  from  Thee.'  Once  when 
I  visited  her,  and  asked  her  if  she  would  really  leave  us,  she 
said  with  a  nod,  'Yes.'  Then  I  said  to  her,  'When  you  are 
with  Jesus,  think  of  me  and  pray  for  me  so  long  as  I  remain 
behind,  here  in  the  body.'  Then  she  said,  'I  shall  also  think 
of  my  mother  and  brothers  and  pray  for  them.'  Once  she 
sent  for  me,  and  I  asked  for  the  reason.  She  said :  'It  is 
of  no  consequence ;  I  only  want  to  remind  you  of  what  I 
said  to  you  a  year  ago.'  Then  I  knew  what  she  meant.  She 
meant  that  which  I  should  tell  to  no  one  except  Mwalwizi : 
'God  has  told  me  that  I  shall  die  after  the  birth  of  my  first 
child.'  (To  this  Brother  Traugott  Bachmann  remarks:  "Am- 
bilishije  wrote  these  words  to  me  a  year  ago.")  When  she 
suffered  very  much  she  said,  'My  God.  take  me  to  Thyself,' 
and  soon  after  she  died.  We  buried  Ndondolilwe  in  her  bap- 
tismal dress,  for  she  said  that  it  should  not  be  left  behind. 
We  had  to  go  to  the  chief  and  ask  whether  he  would  allow 
this,  for  in  Mukoma's  land  it  is  not  allowed  to  bury  any  one 
clothed  in  foreign  cloth.  I  went  and  asked  him,  though  I 
knew  that  he  would  not  grant  it.  But  the  chief  said:  'Why 
shall  I  further  hinder  it,  for  the  land  belongs  to  the  foreign- 
ers?' At  the  funeral  we  sang  many  hymns  and  I  spoke  on 
John  11:21-25.  Her  child,  a  boy,  lives,  and  they  give  him 
cow's  milk  and  soup  made  out  of  flour.  After  the  funeral 
we  laid  branches  of  thorn-trees  on  the  grave  as  a  protecction 
against  the  hyenas.  Afterwards  I  said  to  her  husband  and 
her  brothers,  that  they  should  raise  some  memorial  on  the 
grave,  for  many  people  falsely  say  of  us,  that  we  dig  up 
corpses  and  eat  them.  Then  we  shall  be  able  to  say  to  them. 
*No,  there  lies  Ndondolilwe.' 


THE  G0S1'EI>  EFFECTIVE   IN    X  VASALA  Nl).  13'^ 

"But  I  must  go  back  and  relate  how  at  the  grave,  before 
we  filled  it,  1  told  the  assembled  people  about  Ndondolilwe's 
life  of  faith.  At  hrst  she  began  to  speak  with  my  wife, 
and  the  latter  had  clearl}-  told  her  that  we  believers  shall  be 
saved  and  unbelievers  lost.  Later  she  came  to  me  and  con- 
fessed her  sins ;  but  I  doubted  if  she  was  in  earnest ;  yet  she 
was,  and  was  baptized.  Then  I  said  to  them  all :  'Do  not 
think  that  Ndondolilwe  has  died  from  sorcery  or  that  a  spirit 
has  brought  about  her  end.  No,  a  year  ago  God  told  her 
that  she  would  die  after  the  birth  of  her  first  child.  Now 
she  has  died  and  left  us  behind  in  our  misery.  Though  she 
has  died  so  happy  a  death  we  remain  in  misery,  and  I  can 
not  comfort  you  otherwise  than  through  faith  in  the  resur- 
rection of  those  who  believe  in  Jesus.  Yes,  they  will  live 
and  we  shall  see.  Ndondolilwe  again.' '' 

The  twenty  years  of  pioneer  work  in  Nyasaland  have  ex- 
enii)lified  the  truth  of  the  words  of  Germany's  great  mis- 
sit)nary  leader.  Dr.  Gustav  Warneck :  "Heathenism  is  a  re- 
ligion of  fear,  of  fear  of  gods  and  spirits,  of  fear  of  sor- 
cerers and  of  the  accusation  of  practising  witchcraft  and  the 
like.  Christianit}-  is  a  religion  of  happiness.  Like  the 
Christmas  angel  the  missionary  brings  to  the  servants  of 
idols  and  of  sorcery,  characterized  by  their  fearsomeness, 
the  message,  'Fear  not,  behold  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of 
great  joy.'  Heathenism  is  a  religion  that  wholly  lacks  love. 
It  has  many  gods,  but  no  god  that  loves  and  is  loved.  And 
the  devotees  of  this  religion  lack  the  practice  of  love. 
Christianity  is  the  religion  of  love,  the  love  of  God,  Who 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  and  is  the  religion  of  the  mutual 
love  of  man,  which  renders  us  Good  Samaritans  overagainst 
the  needs  of  our  neighbors.  Heathenism  is  a  religion  of 
misery,  of  spiritual,  mental,  st)cial  and  bodily  misery,  a  suf- 
fering world  with  no  physician.  Heathenism  is  a  religion 
without  a  Saviour,  at  the  best  a  religion  of  self-help.  lUit 
Christianity  is  a  religion  of  the  help  of  God,  since  it  has  a 
Saviour,  Who  is  the  Redeemer." 


140  HISTORY  OF   NYASA   MISSION. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

AMONG   THE   LEPERS. 

As  early  as  1822  the  Moravian  Church  directed  its  at- 
tention to  the  care  of  lepers  at  Hemel  en  Aarde  in  South 
Africa,  and  since  then  it  has  sought  to  minister  to  crippled, 
wasting  sufferers  in  the  Home  for  Lepers  "Jesus  Hilfe," 
near  Jerusalem,  and  at  "Bethesda,"  in  Surinam.  In  1904 
its  missionaries  were  brought  face  to  face  with  a  similar 
task  of  Christian  charity  in  Nyasaland.  For  here,  too,  this 
terrible  disease  is  among  the  ills  that  plague  humanity.  In 
fact,  it  has  been  estimated  that  possibly  five  in  every  thou- 
sand natives  of  the  region  are  leprous.  Long  before  Equa- 
torial Africa  was  opened  to  the  whites,  the  loathsome  canker, 
that  slowly  but  steadily  marks  the  countenance  or  limbs 
with  the  stamp  of  festering  impurity  and  covers  the  body 
with  an  ulcerating  crust  of  repulsiveness,  to  later  on  drive 
away  repose  with  its  awful  itchings  and  agonizing  pains,  a 
horrible  death  in  life,  was  only  too  well  known.  Fortunate- 
ly the  Africans  had  already  recognized  the  necessity  of 
segregating  the  sufferers — to  a  certain  degree  at  least,  and 
this  rendered  the  task  of  the  colonial  government  a  lighter 
one  than  would  have  been  the  case  had  its  measure  met  with 
lack  of  understanding  and  opposition. 

When  the  officials  began  to  take  a  position  in  relation  to 
this  horrible  scourge,  they  wisely  recognized  that  on  the 
one  hand  it  would  be  best  to  build  upon  the  existing  usages 
of  the  natives  in  connection  with  the  adoption  of  social  regu- 
lations for  the  suppression  of  leprosy,  and  on  the  other 
hand  to  secure  if  possible  the  cooperation  of  the  missionary 
workers,  disinterested  friends  of  the  people,  whose  philan- 
thropy could  be  reckoned  with.  The  former  consideration 
lent  weight  to  the  plan  of  forming  colonies  of  lepers  at  suit- 
able places  as  contrasted  with  the  erection  of  extensive  asy- 
lums. Indeed  the  erection  of  the  latter  in  sufficient  numbers 
would  have  overtaxed  the  resources  of  the  undeveloped 
colony.     Therefore  the  government  reached  an  arrangement 


AMONG    THE    LEPERS.  141 

witli  the  missionary  societies  respecting  the  setting  apart  of 
suitable  plots  of  land,  frequently  within  the  domain  of  the 
missions,  for  the  establisliment  of  such  colonies,  and  after 
their  establishment  commissioned  the  missionaries  with  the 
general  oversight  over  them. 

Xot  all  the  plans  in  relation  to  the  control  and  care  of 
the  poor  sufferers  have  as  yet  been  carried  out.  Time  and 
means  nuist  be  at  disposal  before  the  ends  sought  can  be 
fully  attained.  Yet  each  year  marks  a  step  in  advance  to- 
wards the  goal  in  view,  the  compulsory  isolation  of  all 
tainted  with  the  terrible  disease,  that  in  time  its  extinction 
may  be  achieved.  Fortunately  the  chieftains  and  their  peo- 
ple appear  to  have  an  appreciation  of  the  purposes  of  the 
government,  and  lay  no  great  hindrances  in  the  way. 

In  the  case  of  each  leper  colony  the  government  provides 
the  financial  means  for  the  erection  of  the  houses,  built  in 
native  style  upon  the  spot  selected  by  the  representatives  of 
the  government  and  of  the  mission.  Upon  the  government 
falls  as  w^ell  the  obligation  of  laying  out  the  necessary  roads 
and  keeping  them  in  repair,  and  of  planting  banana  groves 
for  the  supply  of  food.  I  Jut  the  labor  in  connection  with 
all  this  is  done  under  the  supervision  of  the  missionaries. 
They  administer  the  funds  appropriated  for  the  purpose 
and  render  an  account  to  the  civil  authorities. 

Mas  a  colony  been  established,  it  is  for  the  government  to 
name  some  reliable  native,  who  shall  maintain  order  among 
the  lepers  and  bind  their  wounds.  He  also  acts  as  a  go- 
between  and  makes  known  the  requests  which  the  people 
in  his  care  wish  to  present.  The  obligations  of  the  mis- 
sionaries have  first  and  foremost  to  do  with  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  lepers.  By  means  of  frequent  visits  and  in 
particular  by  means  of  the  services  held  either  l)y  themselves 
or  by  their  native  evangelists  on  the  Lord's  Day,  they  seek 
to  keep  in  close  touch  with  these  wards  of  misery.  More- 
over they  exercise  supervision  over  the  native  overseers, 
who  have  to  minister  in  the  first  instance  to  the  bodily  needs 
of  the  lepers.  The  government  provides  medicines,  salves 
and  the  like,  as  may  be  required.     Food  and  clothing  it  is 


142,  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

the  business  of  relatives  of  the  sufferers  to  furnish.  As  yet 
strict  isolation  does  not  appear  to  be  insisted  upon,  in  so  far 
that  blood-relatives  of  the  lepers  are  permitted  to  keep  thera 
company  and  live  within  the  colonies. 

At  the  end  of  1910  at  least  five  such  leper-colonies  were 
under  the  management  of  the  Moravian  Mission  in  Nyasa- 
land.  In  1904  a  tract  was  selected  for  the  purpose  and  the 
first  of  these  colonies  established  on  land  belonging  to 
Rungwe,  though  about  twenty-five  minutes  walk  from  the 
mission  houses.  It  is  advantageously  situated  between  two 
streams.  Here  stood  at  the  close  of  1910  one  hundred  and 
forty-three  huts,  inhabited  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  lepers, 
together  with  their  families,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
souls.  Rutenganio  has  also  its  leper-colony,  Maketa,  with 
about  eight  hundred  inhabitants.  Xear  Isoko  there  are  two ;, 
the  one,  Mugoni,  about  half  an  hour's  walk  from  the  mission 
houses,  with  one  hundred  and  forty  huts,  furnishes  a  home 
for  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  lepers  and  has  a  total 
population  of  three  hundred  to  four  hundred ;  the  other, 
Mtofyia,  several  hours  distant,  with  fifty  lepers  and  about 
one  hundred  persons  in  all.  The  fifth  colony  is  near  the 
river  Kibila,  two  and  a  half  hours  distant  from  Ipyana.  and 
is  known  as  Songela.  Here  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
lepers  occupy  one  hundred  and  forty  huts. 

What  a  demand  on  the  sympathies  is  made  by  contact  with 
lepers  in  every  stage  of  their  progressive  misery !  Indescrib- 
ably pitiful  scenes  and  intense  sufferings  must  be  witnessed. 
Heart-rending  are  the  moans,  as  the  more  vital  parts  are- 
reached  by  the  poison  of  the  disease.  The  efiluvium  cast 
off  pollutes  the  air  with  its  offensiveness.  And  yet  all  this 
and  more  is  cheerfully  endured  by  men  and  women  who 
seek  to  be  "all  things  to  all  men,  that  they  may  by  all  means- 
save  some."  But  it  is  particularly  trying,  when  the  hardness 
of  the  stubborn  heart  manifests  itself  the  more  baldly  and" 
unreservedly  because  of  the  realized  hopelessness  of  the 
poor  people's  condition.  This  is  only  too  often  experienced. 
Not  even  in  Christian  lands  is  suffering  always  a  means  of 
grace.     Sometimes  it  hardens  with  the  hardness  of  despair. 


AMONG    THE    LEPERS.  143 

Job's  wife,  with  her  "Curse  God  and  die,"  has  her  counter- 
part even  in  lands  that  know  of  the  long-suffering  and  mer- 
ciful kindness  of  a  Father  in  Heaven.  Even  in  Christendom 
miseiy  may  call  forth  the  worst  characteristics  that  lie  dor- 
mant in  human  nature.  Hopeless  suffering  furnishes  occa- 
sion for  murmuring  and  complaint.  How  much  more  is  it 
to  be  expected  that  in  the  case  of  heathen  declining  health 
and  uncertainty  as  to  the  future  neither  make  for  the  soften- 
ing of  the  temper  nor  induce  patient  resignation.  ]\lisery 
is  rather  apt  to  crush  out  the  native  graces  of  the  heathen's 
normal  disposition.  Leprosy  tears  away  the  veil  of  deco- 
rum that  even  in  heathendom  enwraps  many  a  character  out 
of  respect  for  public  opinion.  When  physical  powers  have 
not  yet  been  really  broken,  but  the  hopelessness  of  the  dis- 
ease has  been  realized,  desperate  acts  may  be  contemplated. 
A  reasoning  is  exhibited  akin  to  that  of  the  lepers  within 
beleaguered  Samaria,  who  urged  one  another  to  venture  out 
into  the  silent  camp  of  the  besiegers :  "The  worst  that  can 
happen  to  us  is  death ;  and  in  any  case  we  are  hastening 
forward  to  a  miserable  death.  Therefore  let  us  risk  all  for 
present  gains."  Then  a  band  of  these  desperate  lepers  will 
issue  out  from  their  colony  and  ravage  the  vicinity,  stealing 
and  slaughtering  cattle,  that  they  may  once  more  gorge 
themselves  to  repletion.  They  know-  well  enough,  that 
very  little  will  be  done  to  them.  They  can  not  be  condemned 
to  severe  corporal  labor  in  chains,  and  as  little  can  they  be 
punished  with  the  lash.  Nor  will  any  official  dare  to  infect 
a  prison  cell  by  placing  their  tainted  bodies  in  it.  Such  ex- 
periences have  been  made.  Hence  the  oversight  of  these 
often  discontented  and  sometimes  unruly  heathen  sufferers 
may  involve  no  light  task,  quite  apart  from  the  pain  felt 
when  thankless  lack  of  appreciation  repudiates  that  Gospel 
which  should  have  a  special  attractiveness  for  these  most 
miserable  of  the  miserable. 

All  the  greater  the  triumph  of  our  Lord,  when  some  such 
hard  heart  is  broken,  when  murmuring  and  despair  yield, 
and  hope  and  peace  enter,  and  the  soul  waits  patiently  on 


144  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

Him.  And  such  triumphs  have  been  celebrated.  There 
are  now  Christians  among  the  lepers  in  Nyasaland. 

But  among  the  inhabitants  of  these  leper-colonies  is  one 
who  deserves  special  mention.  This  is  Twijulege,  of  Song- 
ela.  Twijulege  is  a  Christian,  and  no  leper,  and  yet  he  has 
cast  in  his  lot  with  these  wretched  sufferers.  More  than 
this  Twijulege  is  one  of  the  "evangelists,"  who  have  been 
devotedly  seeking  to  win  their  countrymen  for  Christ.  He 
was  an  evangelist  in  the  regular  service  of  the  mission  long 
before  he  removed  to  Songela,  whither  he  went  of  his  own 
free  will. 

Let  us  make  his  acquaintance,  as  one  of  the  scholars  of 
the  school  for  evangelists  at  Rungwe  in  1903.  The  then 
director  of  that  school,  Brother  Klautzsch,  sketched  his 
character  thus :  "One  who  becomes  weary  at  times,  because 
the  subjects  studied,  especially  arithmetic,  go  beyond  his 
horizon,  is  a  Rutenganio  man,  Twijulege.  He  is  a  dear 
man,  with  a  frank  open  character,  who  loves  Jesus  and  so 
far  as  I  can  observe  walks  in  the  light.  In  the  early  days 
of  the  school,  when  I  read  the  regulations  to  the  students, 
which  among  the  rest  prohibited  all  strife  amongst  them, 
he  came  in  the  evening  and  made  confession  that  he  had 
quarreled  with  a  fellow-student.  We  prayed  together,  and 
Jesus  forgave  him,  that  is,  took  away  from  him  his  sense  of 
self-accusation.  Next  morning  he  came  with  a  glad  face 
and  told  me  how  the  Lord  had  smoothed  the  way  for  him. 
I  had  naturally  said  to  him,  that  he  must  make  it  good  with 
the  other,  even  if  the  other  possibly  was  more  to  blame  than 
he.  He  dreaded  this ;  but  the  Lord  had  prepared  the  way. 
Now  his  wife  has  also  become  a  candidate  for  baptism  and 
is  receiving  instruction ;  I  hope  that  they  may  some  day 
set  forth  amid  heathen  surroundings,  what  a  family  is  where 
Jesus  dwells.  Such  object  lessons  here  as  well  as  at  home 
have  more  power  to  win  men  for  the  Crucified  than  have 
anything  else,  for  He  wishes  to  dwell  in  them  that  are  His. 
Twijulege  apprehends  Biblical  truths  with  an  amazing 
swiftness,  as  though  it  were  almost  a  matter  of  course  for 
him  to  do  so.     He  has  no  need  like  so  many  unconverted 


AMONG    THE    LEPERS.  145 

persons  to  reflect  on  the  possibility  of  the  personal  presence 
of  Jesus,  still  less  to  put  it  in  question.  No,  because  he  has 
this  Jesus  and  has  been  saved  by  Him,  he  recognizes  Him 
to  be  the  One,  Who  he  is." 

The  wish  of  Klautzsch  has  been  fulfilled,  but  in  a  man- 
ner not  in  harmony  with  his  expectations.  After  complet- 
ing the  course  in  the  school  for  evangelists  at  Rungwe, 
Twijulege  served  for  some  years  acceptably  as  an  evan- 
gelist under  the  missionary  at  Rutenganio.  But  later  on 
his  wife  showed  signs  of  leprosy.  According  to  native 
usage,  he  would  have  been  justified  in  divorcing  her.  In- 
deed her  father  sent  back  the  presents  received  at  the  time 
of  her  marriage,  in  token  that  Twilujege  was  now  a  free 
man.  But  now  Twijulege  proved  himself  a  Christian  in 
reahty.  His  wife  elected  to  go  to  the  leper  colony  near 
Ipyana — her  husband  had  of  late  been  doing  the  work  of 
an  evangelist  in  the  lowlands  nearby.  As  in  the  case  of 
Ruth,  his  devotion  voiced  itself  in  action  following  on  the 
determination,  "Whither  thou  goest.  I  will  go;  thy  people 
shall  be  my  people."  Had  not  his  God  already  become  her 
God?  Indeed  what  else  could  he  do  than  cleave  to  her,  if 
he  would  be  true  to  his  own  name,  selected  by  himself  at 
baptism — Twijulege,  that  is  "Let  us  strive  after  perfect- 
ness." 

So  Twijulege  voluntarily  devoted  himself  to  the  work 
of  making  known  his  Saviour  to  the  lepers  of  Songela.  And 
God  owned  and  blessed  his  decision.  On  the  29th  of  De- 
cember. 1910,  Kretschmer  baptized  the  firstfruits  of  Twiju- 
lege's  labors  there,  six  men,  four  women  and  two  children. 
And  this  baptism  was  followed  by  the  application  of  a  num- 
ber of  others  for  special  instruction  that  they,  too,  might 
also  publicly  own  Christ. 

Surely  this  shall  be  but  an  earnest  of  wider  and  more 
successful  work  among  these  poor  sufferers;  for  if  all  who 
are  afflicted  and  heavy-laden  need  a  Saviour,  most  emphatic- 
ally do  these.  To  them  of  all  men  those  words  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Philippians  must  come  with  a  force  that  brings  spe- 
cial  comfort:   "For  our  citizenship    is    in    heaven;     from 


146  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

whence  also  we  wait  for  a  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
Who  shall  fashion  anew  the  body  of  our  humiliation,  that 
it  may  be  conformed  to  the  body  of  His  glory."  And  apart 
from  the  comfort  and  help  which  is  thus  brought  to  indi- 
vidual sufferers,  disinterested  devotion  to  them  must  rec- 
ommend our  holy  faith  where  others  are  seeking  to  present 
Islam  as  a  substitute,  a  substitute  whose  utter  inferiority 
is  shown  amongst  the  rest  by  its  callousness  as  well  as  its 
helplessness  overagainst  this  intense  form  of  human  misery. 


A    SUNDAY    IN    ISOKO.  147 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A   SUNDAY   IN    ISOKO. 

A  characteristic  glimpse  into  the  actual  work  of  the  mis- 
sionaries may  be  afforded  by  the  following  sketch  of  a 
Sunday  at  Isoko,  translated  from  a  letter  of  the  missionary 
Emil  Bachmann,  who  writes  ten  years  after  the  founding 
of  the  station.  At  the  time  of  the  purchase  of  the  land 
here,  it  was  necessary  to  buy  the  site  of  an  entire  village 
of  about  ninety  huts  on  the  slopes  of  the  Kalubi.  The  two 
hundred  and  fifty  people  were  allowed  to  remain,  but  it 
was  expected  that  they  would  send  their  children  to  the 
school  and  themselves  show  a  regard  for  the  services  con- 
ducted by  the  missionaries.  Hence  Isoko  differs  from  some 
of  the  other  stations  in  that  a  village  with  a  mixed  popu- 
lation, heathen  and  Christian,  exists  on  mission  land.  Oth- 
erwise the  features  of  the  work  are  the  same.  Brother 
Emil  Bachmann  writes  as  follows : 

It  is  still  dark ;  but  chanticleer's  voice  echoes  and  an- 
nounces that  daybreak  is  at  hand.  We  awake  with  glad 
and  thankful  hearts :  it  is  Sunday.  Gradually  signs  of  life 
increase  all  around  us  and  a  many-colored  troop  of  feath- 
ered songsters  sustain  their  parts  in  a  morning  concert. 
Really  enchanting  tones  sound  forth  from  the  bushes  near- 
by, where  the  singers  hide  from  our  gaze.  All  nature  is 
joyful  and  praises  the  Lord,  and  at  the  same  time  exhorts 
us :  "Oh,  son  of  man.  do  thou  also  render  praise."  Yes, 
the  guardian  of  Israel  has  once  more  watched  over  us 
through  a  night,  and  our  hearts  are  full  of  thanksgiving. 
The  sky  is  clear.  It  will  be  another  hot  day.  Our  darling 
child  has  also  been  aroused,  and  we  pay  a  brief  visit  to  our 
garden  after  coffee  and  morning  prayers.  The  sun  has  now 
risen;  but  he  must  travel  quite  a  distance,  before  he  can 
look  over  the  mountains  that  surround  us.  In  their  shade, 
we  can  enjoy  the  cool  of  the  morning.  But  see!  there  he 
peers  over  the  mountain-top,  and  we  seek  to  withdraw  from 
his  keen  gaze. 


148  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

But  listen !  what  sounds  are  those  ?  They  are  the  tones 
of  the  old  war-horn,  which  calls  together  the  Sunday  School 
children.  What  a  difiference  between  then  and  now !  Then, 
yes  as  late  as  1902,  these  blasts  summoned  all  the  men  ca- 
pable of  bearing  arms  to  Chief  Nyembele,  nearby,  in  order 
to  fall  upon  the  villages  of  lesser  chieftains  in  the  darkness 
of  the  night  and  rob  and  plunder.  To-day?  Not  a  soul 
is  filled  with  fear  because  this  horn  is  sounded,  but  the  chil- 
dren know,  that  to-day  a  story  about  Jesus  will  again  be 
told  them.  Verily  our  Saviour  has  brought  peace  to  the 
earth ;  He  has  brought  peace  even  to  the  valleys  of  Bundali. 
The  Gospel  of  peace  and  the  strong  arm  of  just  rulers  have 
together  insured  peace  and  security  in  the  land. 

The  Sunday  scholars  stream  hither  from  all  sides.  Most 
of  the  boys  have  their  nakedness  covered  only  with  a  loin- 
cloth of  cotton.  The  girls  come  in  their  clothing  made 
from  the  inner  bark  of  a  certain  tree,  which  they  have  beau- 
tified for  to-day  with  a  red  paste  (Mbala).  Only  some  of 
the  young  lads,  who  have  been  able  to  earn  something  by 
their  work  or  who  are  in  the  service  of  the  missionaries, 
and  most  of  the  children  of  the  Christians  wear  regular 
clothes.  One  of  these  lads  lets  me  know,  that  the  teacher 
of  the  Sunday  School  has  come,  and  I  also  go  to  take  part 
in  the  instruction. 

The  children  have  learned  a  number  of  hymns  in  the 
day-school,  and  we  begin  the  service  with  one  of  these. 
True  th>e  singing  leaves  something  to  be  desired.  Un- 
doubtedly the  ears  of  many  of  our  home  friends  would  be 
pained.  For  the  youngsters  are  not  very  particular  in  re- 
gard to  time  or  purity  of  tone.  Yet  even  though  they  some- 
times sing  flat  or  the  notes  will  not  reach  for  the  words  or 
the  words  for  the  notes,  they  are  never  at  a  loss.  By  means 
of  any  sort  of  prolongation  or  abbreviation,  as  may  be 
needed,  they  always  manage  to  effect  a  happy  conclusion. 
On  the  other  hand  they  sing  some  hymns  in  reality  very 
finely.  But  if  we  did  not  practice  so  often,  and  if  the  school 
hours  did  not  afford  such  frequent  opportunities  for  cor- 
recting and  leading  the  singing,  all  the  tunes  would  before 


A    SUNDAY    IN     ISOKU.  149 

very  long  be  assimilated  to  the  native  taste.  And  yet  these 
hymns  are  to  the  glory  of  God.  How  stimulating  it  is  to 
hear  them  sung  in  the  daily  life  of  the  people  in  their  vil- 
lages as  they  go  about  their  ordinary  occupations ! 

The  opening  hymn  is  followed  by  prayer,  the  reading 
of  the  Gospel  for  the  day  and  the  relating  of  the  story  it 
contains  with  application.  But  we  have  to  do  with  children 
of  nature,  for  whom  attention  and  sitting  still  are  unknown 
qualities.  And  the  girls  often  have  charge  of  their  small 
brothers  and  sisters,  whom  they  have  brought  on  their 
backs.  Every  now  and  again  we  must  admonish  all  to  keep 
quiet  and  listen ;  and  then  it  goes  passably  for  a  short  time. 
But  sometimes  our  questioning  betrays  that  their  thoughts 
have  gone  wool-gathering.  It  is  difficult  to  get  anything 
out  of  the  girls ;  the  boys  answer  better.  After  another 
prayer  and  song,  those  who  are  present  are  counted,  and 
we  find  that  thirty-eight  boys  and  seventy-two  girls  have 
come.  Finally  they  are  charged  to  invite  their  parents  and 
relatives  to  the  preaching  service,  and  then  they  breathe  a 
sigh  of  relief,  for  only  of  a  very  few  can  it  as  yet  be  said, 
that  attendance  at  Sunday  School  springs  from  a  heart's 
desire. 

Out  they  stream.  The  boys  stand  in  groups  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  scatter  to  their  villages.  The  girls  hurry 
into  the  yard  to  the  stones  with  which  they  play.  They  call 
the  game  "Akwankila"  ("Jacks"  in  American  children's 
parlance).  The  player  kneels  by  a  little  pile  of  stones, 
throws  one  stone  into  the  air  and  seizing  one  of  the  other 
stones  catches  also  the  first  as  it  descends.  The  game  is 
ended  when  the  whole  pile  has  been  won  in  this  manner. 

Slowly  the  girls  also  disappear.  After  a  short  time  the 
church  bell  summons  to  the  preaching  service.  A  number 
of  chorales  played  on  the  cornet  also  admonish  the  people 
to  direct  their  hearts  towards  heavenly  things.  The  neigh- 
borhood is  well  peopled,  yet  the  attendance  is  but  scanty. 
In  the  first  days  of  this  station  many  came.  But  when  it 
began  to  be  plain  to  them  that  they  must  break  with  their 

11 


150  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

old  ways  and  mode  of  life,  this  seemed  to  them  too  hard  a 
demand,  and  as  in  the  days  of  Jesus,  so  too  here,  the  people 
would  not  come  to  Him  that  they  might  have  life.  And 
yet  why  should  we  be  surprised?  They  have  what  they 
need  for  their  daily  sustenance,  and  where  their  treasure 
is,  there  is  also  their  heart — namely  with  their  cattle.  After 
<ieath,  they  say,  they  expect  to  go  where  their  relatives  are. 
Nevertheless  quite  a  considerable  number  of  heathen  do 
respond  to  our  summons.  Indeed  on  festival  days  our  church 
is  crowded,  and  many  must  stand  outside.  But  not  only 
heathen  come  to  the  service.  A  Christian  congregation  tes- 
tifies that  God's  Word  has  not  returned  to  Him  void.  We 
recognize  the  Christians  by  their  white  clothing  and  the 
Christian  women  by  their  special  head-dress.  Men  and 
women  apart,  they  greet  each  other  as  they  assemble  in 
front  of  the  church,  and  exchange  their  experiences.  In 
this  land  verbal  communications  must  take  the  place  of 
newspapers,  and  it  is  almost  incredible  with  what  speed  oc- 
currences become  known.  But  now  at  a  gesture  of  the 
usher  all  enter  God's  house  and  take  their  places  on  the  low 
benches. 

The  church  is  a  structure  of  stout  tree-trunks,  woven  to- 
gether with  bamboo.  The  interstices  have  been  filled  out 
with  clay,  and  the  whole  has  been  whitewashed  with  a  sort 
of  lime,  which  however  does  not  wear  well.  The  roof  is 
of  thatch,  and  the  windows  are  without  glass  or  Venetian 
blinds,  since  it  would  not  pay  to  provide  so  provisional  a 
building  with  expensive  windows. 

The  order  of  service  is  as  at  home,  only  without  the 
litany.  We  also  miss  the  accompaniment  to  the  singing. 
Our  harmonium  stands  in  the  dwelling  of  the  missionary 
Zeeb  for  safety's  sake.  For  in  our  provisional  church  the 
white  ants  would  probably  in  a  short  time  so  seriously 
damage  it  that  it  would  be  beyond  repair.  During  the  ser- 
vice the  attention  is  good.  If  the  little  children  raise  some- 
thing of  a  disturbance  their  mothers  carry  them  outside. 

When  the  weather  permits,  we  visit  outposts  after  dinner 
on  Sunday.     To-day  Brother  Zeeb  visits  Mbomba  and  I  go 


A    SUNDAY    IN    ISOKO.  151 

with  two  Christians  to  the  lepers'  settlement.  True  it  is 
always  very  hot  in  the  afternoon ;  but  since  there  is  service 
again  in  the  evening,  the  arrangement  is  unavoidable.  At 
first  it  was  not  thought  that  leprosy  was  so  wide-spread 
here.  l>ut  finally  the  actual  conditions  of  the  country  be- 
came better  known,  and  when  the  government  sent  Askaris 
(native  soldiers)  to  search  out  the  lepers,  a  startlingly  large 
number  were  found. 

We  walk  about  half  an  hour,  till  we  reach,  the  first  huts; 
but  they  live  in  various  valleys  as  much  as  two  hours'  dis- 
tance apart.  This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  each 
family  is  if  possible  to  live  on  its  own  land  and  has  suffi- 
cient land  to  afiford  self-support.  Moreover  the  lepers  are 
arranged  in  accordance  wath  the  various  small  clans  to 
which  they  belong.  There  are  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  lepers  here ;  but  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren raise  the  number  to  betwen  three  and  four  hundred. 

We  had  sent  word  of  our  coming  in  advance,  in  order 
that  the  lepers  might  be  gathered  for  worship  when  we 
came.  But  we  found  only  two  or  three.  Nor  did  our  shout- 
ing and  calHng  have  any  efifect.  Then  we  heard  that  the 
wife  of  one  of  the  lepers  had  brewed  beer,  and  that  all  the 
lepers  living  in  the  vicinity  had  gone  thither.  We  wended 
our  way  to  the  house  in  question.  Here  we  found  one 
among  the  rest,  who  had  never  been  able  to  come  to  hear 
the  Word  of  God  ostensibly  on  account  of  the  bad  sores 
on  his  feet.  Yes,  in  this  land  l)eer  has  greater  attractions 
than  the  Word  of  God.  Now  they  come  out  of  the  hut, 
where  the  drinking  is  going  on.  and  say  that  no  one  else 
is  there.  But  a  closer  investigation  yields  a  (luite  dififerent 
result.  Here  are  others — for  the  most  part  quite  healthy 
people  from  our  neighboring  village,  Kapauga.  They  all 
find  it  very  unpleasant  to  be  thus  disturbed  in  their  drinking 
bout.  Nevertheless  they  all  yield  to  our  invitation,  and  we 
assemble  at  the  usual  place  in  the  shade  of  a  great  tree. 
As  yet  the  lepers  have  no  chapel ;  but  they  are  to  have  one 
like  the  other  villages  which  we  statedly  visit ;  and  they  are 
willing  to  do  their  part  towards  its  erection,  so  far  as  lies 


152  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

in  their  power.  Thirty  men,  twenty  women  and  fourteen 
children  have  assembled.  We  commence  with  a  hymn  and 
prayer.  Unfortunately  the  singing  is  very  weak;  for  only 
the  visitors  and  a  number  of  children  who  have  learned 
the  hymn  from  their  teachers  in  the  village,  are  able  to  join 
in.  To-day  we  tell  them  of  the  healing  of  the  ten  lepers. 
They  listen  closely.  This  is  a  Gospel  suited  just  to  them. 
They  hear  that  they  are  not  the  only  ones  that  have  fallen 
a  prey  to  this  dreadful  ailment.  And  they  are  filled  with 
wonder,  that  the  great  teacher  and  prophet  with  such  ease 
made  so  many  whole.  They  are  told  that  Jesus  can  still  do 
wonders ;  but  that  it  is  His  first  and  foremost  concern  to 
purify  them  and  us  all  from  the  leprosy  of  sin,  in  order 
some  day  to  receive  us  in  the  land  of  lasting  joy,  where  sor- 
row and  sickness  will  be  unknown.  Have  they  understood 
all  that  which  we  tell  them?  Has  it  called  forth  an  echo  in 
their  hearts,  an  echo  which  will  spur  them  on  to  seek  for 
heavenly  things  ?  We  do  not  know.  But  we  pray  the  Lord 
to  reveal  Himself  to  these  most  miserable  of  the  miserable 
to  the  salvation  of  their  souls. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  they  bring  forward  various 
matters — that  they  have  so  little  to  eat,  that  other  persons 
hoe  their  land,  that  they  would  like  to  have  a  teacher  for 
their  children,  and,  what  recurs  on  each  visit,  that  they 
have  no  salt  to  eat  with  their  vegetables.  To  the  first  point 
we  say,  that  they  should  be  contented,  for  they  have  always 
had  sufBcient  to  keep  them  alive ;  which  they  admit.  We 
promise  our  help  for  the  remedy  of  the  second  evil.  In 
regard  to  the  desired  teacher,  we  will  do  what  we  can. 
With  regard  to  the  last  point,  either  very  few  or  very  many 
words  are  necessary,  according  as  we  are  willing  to  really 
enter  on  the  subject.  They  know  well  enough  in  advance, 
that  their  request  will  be  denied,  yet  they  present  it  again 
and  again.  Were  their  request  to  be  fulfilled,  one  would 
continually  need  a  large  supply  of  salt,  and  even  then  their 
beggirg  would  not  be  reduced  to  silence. 

Yet  they  are  content  with  our  denial,  and  we  bid  them 
farewell.    "Mugonege" — "May  you  sleep,"  is  our  farewell; 


A    SUNDAY    IN    ISOKO. 


153 


and  they  say  in  return,  "Mukagonege"— "May  you  sleep  yon- 
der." "Mwandege."  they  call  after  us  once  more — "May 
you  walk  carefully."  And  we  assent  with,  "Lua" — "Yes." 
Their  last  wish  is  quite  appropriate  in  view  of  the  condition 
of  the  roads  in  these  parts.  But  it  does  not  suffice  accord- 
ing to  the  etiquette  of  Africa  to  repeat  a  greeting  only  once. 
It  must  be  said  over  and  over  again,  till  one  is  almost  out  of 
hearing.  We  are  made  to  feel  that  our  visit  was  really  wel- 
come to  the  lepers,  and  we  on  our  part  rejoice  in  having 
been  permitted  to  bear  witness  to  them  about  Jesus. 

On  the  way  back  to  the  station  my  native  companions 
and  I  pass  the  time  talking  about  Germany  or  about  cus- 
toms and  usages  here  in  Africa.  It  is  of  lively  interest  to 
them  to  know  about  the  Fatherland ;  but  I  on  my  part  am 
equally  interested  to  hear  what  they  can  tell  me  about  their 
own  country  and  its  people.  On  the  way  we  come  upon  a 
place  where  there  has  been  a  fire  and  beside  it  two  pots.  A 
leper  has  died,  and  on  the  way  by  which  he  went  from  his 
home  to  the  leper  colony  a  medicine-man  has  cooked  medi- 
cine and  left  all  lying.  If  this  were  not  done,  they  believe 
that  the  disease  would  return  to  the  village  and  easily  settle 
upon  one  of  the  relatives.  We  pass  on.  Now  we  have 
climbed  the  mountain,  and  a  splendid  view  opens  out  before 
us.  There  lies  the  northern  end  of  Lake  Nyasa,  and  on 
the  farther  shore  the  mountains  of  P.ukirga  rise  in  proud 
majesty.  Yes,  even  the  water-fall  above  the  Berlin  mission 
station  gleams  forth  a  greeting  to  us. 

And  now  we  approach  our  home,  whence  my  wife  comes 
to  meet  me.  with  our  child.  The  Christians  pass  on  into 
the  village  and  now  I  have  a  brief  period  of  rest.  But  I 
have  brought  from  the  walk  a  mighty  thirst  and  soon  we 
sit  down  to  cofifee.  We  would  gladly  do  this  on  our  ve- 
randa; but  on  the  one  side  of  the  house  the  wind  is  blowing 
too  fiercely  and  on  the  other  the  sun  is  strcami'^g  down. 
So  w^e  remain  within  doors.  To-day  we  may  allow  our- 
selves more  time  than  usual,  for  it  is  Sunday.  But  after 
cofifee  we  must  go  and  pay  the  Zeeb  family  a  brief  visit. 
They  have  just  returned  from  a  short  walk  in  the  neigh- 


154  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

boring  wood.  They  are  well  and  have  good  news  from 
their  two  children,  who  have  left  them  in  order  to  go  to 
school  in  Europe.  We  sing  a  number  of  chorales  together 
and  are  happy  that  our  Brethren's  Hymnbook  contains 
such  treasures. 

But  once  more  the  bell  rings ;  for  before  dark  the  con- 
gregation will  assemble  again  to  hear  God's  Word. 
And  once  more  the  cornet  sounds  its  invitation.  The  ser- 
vice partakes  more  of  the  nature  of  questions  and  answers 
with  reference  to  the  sermon  of  the  morning.  The  ques- 
tions are  addressed  only  to  the  Christians  and  we  rejoice 
that  they  reply  so  well.  We  close  with  the  wish  that  we 
may  take  to  heart  in  the  routine  of  the  week  all  that  we 
have  heard  to-day  and  may  walk  before  the  Lord  to  His 
good  pleasure. 

The  cow  bells  sound  out  as  the  herds  approach  to  be 
sheltered  in  their  stalls  for  the  night.  Gradually  darkness 
settles  down.  From  the  village  the  melodies  of  Christian 
song  may  be  heard,  and  then  all  is  still.  Only  the  occa- 
sional trolling  of  a  song  by  a  benighted  wanderer  is  heard, 
who  thus  screws  up  his  courage  or  seeks  to  scare  off  any 
wild  beast  that  may  be  prowling  near. 

We  edify  ourselves  in  German  once  more  with  a  sermon 
from  the  sainted  Bishop  Wunderling's  "Uraltcs  und  Ezvig 
Nciies,"  and  remember  the  congregations  that  once  had  in 
their  midst  this  herald  of  the  truth.  But  how  goes  it  in 
the  home-land  now?  A  number  of  religious  papers  and  a 
brief  diary  convey  the  desired  information. 

Sleep  once  more  settles  down  upon  the  earth  and  enters 
our  home  also.  Once  more  we  may  gather  refreshment  for 
body  and  spirit  through  undisturbed  rest ;  for  even  here 
in  distant  Africa  the  faithful  One  that  watches  over  Israel 
protects  our  bed,  He  Who  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps. 


THE  MISSION   AS  A  CIVILIZING  FORCE.  155 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    MISSION    AS   A    CIVILIZING    FORCE. 

Evangelization  and  the  introduction  of  civilization  and 
culture  are  not  identical.  Still  less  are  they  mutually  an- 
tagonistic. Rather  must  the  true  Christianization  of  a  peo- 
ple hitherto  undeveloped  in  respect  to  culture  inevitably  ex- 
ercise a  moulding  and  uplifting  influence  and  directly  make 
for  their  civilization.  This  holds  as  good  in  the  twentieth 
century  among  the  dusky  tribes  of  the  Dark  Continent  as 
it  did  during  the  seventh  and  eight  centuries  among  Teu- 
tonic peoples.  True  religion  penetrates  the  whole  of  life 
and  transforms  all  its  relationships.  When  a  primitive 
heathen,  hitherto  sunken  in  superstition,  learns  to  adore 
Him  Whom  to  know  is  life  eternal,  a  process  commences 
which  afifects  and  in  the  course  of  time  alters  his  entire 
nature.  With  conversion  a  Christian  character  begins  to 
germinate.  The  ideal  of  a  true  family  life  is  conceived.  A 
desire  for  order  and  propriety  follows.  Moral  perceptions 
deepen.  Reliability  appears  a  thing  to  be  coveted.  He  who 
was  hitherto  the  sport  of  his  own  caprices,  begins  to  have 
a  respect  for  the  sense  of  duty  and  conscientiousness  awak- 
ens. He  learns  to  do  not  merely  what  naturally  appeals  to 
him  and  what  he  fancies,  but  rather  what  he  ought  to  do. 
Much  that  formerly  appeared  to  be  innocent  or  at  least  in- 
different and  permissible,  he  gradually  puts  away  as  hate- 
ful and  debasing.  He  discerns  the  real  consequences  of 
polygamy,  an  institution  degrading  to  womanhood  and  in- 
tensifying the  selfishness  of  the  man.  Revenge,  under  the 
old  order  of  things  regarded  as  a  matter  of  natural  right, 
is  renounced.  Aspirations  after  knowledge  awaken.  The 
condition  of  woman  is  gradually  elevated.  The  value  of 
time  dawns  on  the  whole  people  and  new  nec:ls  arise  in 
their  economic  life.  Morals  improve.  Superstitions  die 
out.  The  sense  of  right  and  justice  is  educated.  In  short 
the  work  of  civilizing  the  race  has  received  a  basis  on  which 
it  can  build. 


156  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

On  the  other  hand  until  this  basis  has  been  won,  the  work 
of  civilizing  can  be  Httle  better  than  the  imposing  on  the 
savage  the  thin  varnish  of  a  more  or  less  clumsy  imitation 
of  half  understood  usages.  True  culture  is  impossible  be- 
fore the  might  of  superstition  has  been  broken.  And  in 
German  East  Africa  superstition  sways  the  heathen  fam- 
ily in  a  way  that  makes  true  identity  of  interests  impossi- 
ble. For  the  man  reveres  the  ancestors  of  his -family,  the 
woman  those  of  her  people.  They  can  not  in  perfect  com- 
munity of  interests  call  to  aid  what  they  hold  to  be  the 
higher  powers.  Has  sickness  for  example  seized  a  daugh- 
ter, not  the  father  but  the  mother  is  concerned,  and  since 
she  can  not  herself  bring  offerings  to  the  ancestors  she  must 
seek  some  influential  relative  on  her  side  of  the  house, 
that  he  may  assemble  the  family  in  front  of  the  hut,  and 
pouring  out  the  libation  of  beer  or  water  at  the  foot  of  the 
banana  tree  next  to  the  door,  sacred  to  the  spirits  of  the 
forefathers,  may  call  upon  them  to  avert  their  anger  and 
be  propitious.  But  if  this  appeal  is  ineffectual,  the  poison- 
ous plant  of  mistrust  blossoms  only  too  easily  in  the  heart 
of  the  father  and  quickly  bears  fruit.  There  follow  whis- 
perings of  "Bulosi,'  i.  e.,  "Sorcerer,"  or  "Ndosi."  i.  e., 
"Witchcraft."  A  divorce  may  readily  follow,  for  the  fear 
of  witchcraft  maddens  the  minds  of  even  the  otherwise 
judicial. 

In  every  mission  various  means  are  at  disposal  to  coun- 
teract and.  ultimately  remove  superstition — first  and  fore- 
most the  school,  the  press  and  medical  activity.  Recourse 
has  been  had  to  all  three  in  Nyasaland,  though  all  three  and 
especially  the  latter  two  are  capable  of  a  more  intense  and 
wider  application.  The  periodical  press  is  represented  by 
the  Christian  newspaper  in  the  Suaheli  language  "Pwani 
no  bara" — "Coast  and  Inland,"  edited  and  published  as  a 
joint  undertakirg  of  the  Protestant  Missions  in  German 
East  Africa  by  Superintendent  Klamroth  of  the  Berlin  Mis- 
sion at  Daressalam.  Gemuseus.  the  Director  of  the  Normal 
School  at  Rungwe,  represents  the  Moravian  Mission  on  the 
staff  of  his  collaborators.     However,  where  reading  was  an 


THE  MISSION   AS  A  CIVILIZING  FORCE.  157 

unknown  art  twenty  years  ago,  too  much  can  not  be  ex- 
pected from  the  use  of  this  means  among  the  present  gen- 
eration of  Konde  peoples.  Similarly  the  medical  mission- 
ary weapon  can  be  employed  for  the  destruction  of  super- 
stition to  best  advantage  only  after  fully  qualified  medical 
men  are  sent  to  the  field,  however  valuable  the  partial  medi- 
cal education  gained  by  this  or  that  missionary  in  Living- 
stone College,  London,  or  in  the  Dcutsches  Institut  fiir 
drztUchc  Mission  in  Tubingen.  Nevertheless  even  the  al- 
leviation of  tropical  diseases  by  Europeans  who  are  laymen 
in  the  world  of  medicine  may  do  and  has  done  much  to 
shake  the  blind  belief  of  ignorant  natives  in  the  puerile  su- 
perstitions received  by  tradition.  Apart  from  the  binding 
of  •  wounds,  and  the  performing  of  minor  surgical  opera- 
tions, the  average  missionary  must  do  what  he  can  to  re- 
lieve bronchitis,  dysentery  and  fevers,  and  to  ease  irritated 
eyes,  as  well  as  mitigate  certain  affections  of  the  skin,  and 
swellings  of  the  lower  limbs  that  are  peculiar  to  equatorial 
Africa.  And  every  case  of  sane  treatment  in  accordance 
with  some  knowledge  of  anatomy  and  the  actual  laws  of 
health  exerts  a  civilizing  effect  in  that  it  loosens  the  power 
of  superstitions  that  benumi)  the  intellect. 

On  the  other  hand  the  educational  activity  of  the  mission 
has  been  developed  with  energetic  rapidity,  and  has  evoked 
a  gratifying  response  from  a  people  thirsting  for  enlight- 
enment. All  ages  are  represented  among  the  learners.  At 
the  close  of  the  year  1910.  10  schools  at  the  stations  and  72> 
at  outposts  were  attended  by  4258  pupils,  2247  males  and 
2011  females.  Of  the  scholars  only  248  had  been  baptized. 
If  the  curriculum  remains  as  yet  primitive  it  includes  the 
three  essentials,  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic;  and  sing- 
ing and  religious  instruction  impress  upon  it  tlie  distinct- 
ively missionary  character.  Thanks  to  the  Training  School 
for  Native  Evangelists,  opened  at  Rungwe  in  1903  under 
Klautzsch,  a  \aluable  corps  of  native  evangelists  is  render- 
ing efficient  aid  in  carrying  the  torch  of  intelligence  and 
information  through  the  land  in  connection  with  the  ex- 
tensive itinerations  of  these  men.     And  if  on  his  return  to 


158  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION.  ■ 

Europe  in  1906,  necessitated  by  broken  health,  this  school 
was  at  least  temporarily  closed,  the  Normal  School  founded, 
by  Gemuseus  at  Rungvve  in  January,  1910,  is  doing  excel- 
lent work  and  will  ensure  the  development  and  improve- 
ment of  the  entire  school-system  in  coming  years. 

The  influence  exerted  by  the  mission  as  a  civilizing  force 
by  no  means  ceases,  however,  with  the  energetic  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work  of  education.  Enjoying  as  it  does  the  pro- 
tection afforded  by  the  firm  hand  of  the  colonial  govern- 
ment, thanks  to  whose  power  intertribal  feuds  have  ceased 
to  render  life  insecure,  the  missionaries  count  it  a  privilege 
to  cooperate  with  the  authorities  in  the  promotion  of  com- 
munal undertakings,  and  to  explain  to  the  people  the  ne- 
cessity and  value  of  various  institutions  and  administrative 
arrangements  that  appertain  to  civilization.  If  in  the  early 
days  of  the  mission  opportunity  was  afforded  and  gladly 
used,  to  mediate  between  native  chiefs  and  colonial  officers 
to  the  mutual  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  the  influence 
of  the  missionaries  has  since  then  repeatedly  made  for  con- 
tentment and  peace,  through  their  serving  as  intermediaries 
for  individuals  who  w'ish  to  seek  the  protection  of  the  gov- 
ernment overagainst  the  oppression  of  tyrannous  chieftains, 
or  by  their  promoting  the  peace  and  good  order  of  whole 
communities  by  explaining  the  significance  and  purpose  of 
taxation.  Unquestionably  there  have  been  cases  when  oth- 
erwise inevitable  and  possibly  serious  friction  in  connection 
with  the  collection  of  the  "hut  tax"  of  about  one  dollar  a 
year  has  been  avoided  solely  because  the  missionaries  pre- 
pared the  way  for  its  collection.  They  have  rendered  more 
easy  and  more  acceptable  that  orderly  submission  to  regu- 
lations, which  is  required  by  a  civilized  administration  of 
public  affairs,  and  in  various  ways  have  contributed  to  the 
securing  of  sound  conditions  for  colonial  development. 
Valuable  aid  has  been  rendered  by  them  to  the  government 
in  connection  with  the  construction  of  public  works — no- 
tably the  carrying  of  the  wide  and  well  graded  highways 
across  the  country,  known  in  the  parlance  of  Nyasa  as 
"Barabaras,"  and  the  building  of  bridges,  as  when  Kretsch- 


THE    MISSION    AS    A    CIVILIZING    FORCE.  159 

mer  with  governmental  aid  spanned  the  Kibila  in  1907.  Of 
considerable  significance  in  the  advance  of  civilization  must 
be  reckoned  also  the  laying  of  pipes  for  a  permanent  water 
supply  at  certain  stations,  as  in  the  case  of  Meyer's  pro- 
vision of  water  for  Rutenganio,  and  similar  work  at  Mbozi, 
where  the  piping  is  eight  kilometers  long. 

Definitely  and  positively  the  influence  of  the  mission  has 
made  for  civilization  and  culture,  however,  in  another  re- 
spect. A  mighty  change  in  the  point  of  view  of  a  people  that 
lacks  any  true  conception  of  life  inevitably  follows,  when 
instructed  by  the  words  and  the  example  of  representatives 
of  a  cultured  race  as  to  the  high  value  and  the  real  dignity 
of  physical  labor.  Hitherto  the  sons  of  the  wilderness  re- 
garded labor  as  something  degrading.  At  best  they  con- 
signed it  to  their  women  as  much  as  possible.  Unless  ab- 
solutely compelled  by  the  struggle  for  existence  to  act  oth- 
erwise, they  held  labor  to  be  beneath  their  dignity,  except 
that  connected  with  the  chase,  since  the  privations  and 
dangers  of  hunting  reminded  them  of  those  connected  with 
war  and  served  as  a  training  for  war — the  trade  of  a  man. 
For  the  monotonous  toil  of  every  day  they  had  little  un- 
derstanding. Industry  of  a  steady  sort  was  unknown  ex- 
cept among  the  mountaineers,  whose  climate  compelled  it. 
Their  needs  were  few  and  simple,  and  in  a  fertile  tropical 
land  these  needs  were  easily  met.  Indeed  why  should 
economy  be  practiced,  when  the  necessities  of  life  could  not 
be  stored  against  the  future? 

But  now  the  example  of  the  missionaries  stimulates  to 
make  provision  for  the  future,  and  teaches  how  this  may 
be  done.  Money,  as  a  means  of  exchange  and  possessing 
inherent  power  to  provide  for  future  desires,  begins  to  enter 
the  land.  New  wants  have  arisen,  and  must  be  met.  The 
sense  of  decency,  for  example,  has  aroused  a  sane  discon- 
tent with  savage  nakedness.  Clothing  is  regarded  as  de- 
sirable. It  is  learned  that  health  may  be  promoted  by  the 
erection  of  better  houses.  The  government's  demand  for 
taxes  must  be  met,  and  money,  needful  for  clothes  and  for 
the  payment  of  taxes,  can  be  obtained  only  through  labor. 


160  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

The  Christians  find  it  desirable  to  five  on  mission  land,  near 
the  church  and  school,  that  the  advantage  of  uninterrupted 
instruction  may  be  enjoyed.  For  the  land  thus  occupied 
a  small  rent  must  be  paid.  With  the  gradual  introduction 
of  superior  implements,  such  as  hoes  and  knives  and  axes, 
products  of  Europe,  instinctively  the  capacity  for  trade  is 
stimulated,  and  this  carries  with  it  the  willingness  to  learn 
and  practice  industries,  or  at  least  to  obtain  labor  that  is 
recompensed.  The  careless  living  from  hand  to  mouth, 
characteristic  of  the  former  days  makes  way  for  an  ability 
to  contribute  in  some  manner  to  the  needs  and  the  wealth 
of  the  world. 

In  view  of  all  this,  from  an  early  day  it  has  been  the 
effort  of  Moravian  missionaries  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
to  instruct  their  converts  how^  to  utilize  and  develop  the 
natural  resources  of  their  land,  and  to  introduce  to  them 
trades  and  occupations  as  well  as  to  provide  a  market  for 
their  products,  if  this  is  not  otherwise  at  hand.  And  the 
Mission  in  Nyasaland  has  been  no  exception  in  this  respect. 
Here  as  elsewhere  the  Church  has  recognized  that  it  has 
social  duties  to  perform.  That  the  native  tribes  of  any 
colony  belong  to  its  most  valuable  assets,  missionary  lead- 
ers have  long  believed  and  urged  on  others ;  for  the  latent 
resources  of  a  colony  can  be  advantageously  developed  only 
by  the  use  of  the  labor  which  is  ready  to  hand.  And  a 
further  axiom  for  missionary  leaders  is  this :  native  races 
have  the  best  opportunity  to  develop,  and  conflict  with  col- 
onists is  best  avoided,  when  the  former  are  in  a  position 
to  render  services  to  the  latter  in  spheres  where  they  come 
least  of  all  into  personal  competition  with  the  whites  who 
have  entered  the  land. 

With  these  and  like  thoughts  in  mind  the  missionaries  in 
Nyasaland  have  been  putting  forth  efforts  to  win  their  con- 
verts and  the  tribes  to  which  they  belong  for  useful  indus- 
try. At  various  stations  brickmaking  has  been  taught  in 
connection  with  the  erection  of  the  houses  and  churches. 
Carpentry,  tailoring  and  shoemakirg  are  other  industries  to 
which  the  people  have  taken  to  some  extent,  Utengule  be- 


THE    MISSION    AS    A    CIVILIZING    FORCE.  161 

ing  the  center  for  the  last  named  and  Rungwe  affording 
special  facilities  for  wood-work.  A  new  and  enlarged  car- 
penter-shop and  wood-working  establishment  was  built  at 
Rungwe  in  1909,  and  is  under  the  management  of  Paul 
Hollan,  a  skilled  mechanic  in  mission  service,  whilst  Emil 
Bohme  holds  the  position  of  master-builder  for  the  entire 
mission.  The  plant  at  Rungwe  consists  of  two  massive 
buildings  and  four  sheds,  the  former  roofed  with  tiles, 
and  the  latter  temporarily  thatched,  but  also  to  later  reqeive 
tile  roofs.  One  of  the  sheds  is  arranged  for  the  sawing  out 
of  boards.  In  another  beams  are  shaped,  roof-joists  pre- 
pared and  saws  sharpened.  Now  and  then  painting  is  also 
done  in  the  building.  As  many  as  sixteen  saws  have  been 
kept  busy  at  the  same  time,  preparing  beams  from  raw 
lumber,  whilst  nine  men  were  also  engaged  in  subsidiary 
work  in  connection  with  the  same.  From  January  to  June, 
1910,  forty  men  were  steadily  employed  in  the  establish- 
ment, and  during  the  second  half  of  the  year  the  number 
rose  to  fifty-three.  As  many  as  two  hundred  and  thirty 
porters  were  needed  at  one  time  to  transport  the  finished 
product,  when  goods  had  to  be  delivered  to  the  colonial 
government  for  the  5th  company  of  the  "Schutztruppe"  at 
Massoko — beams,  joists,  boards,  doors  and  furniture.  In 
addition  to  the  work  done  for  the  mission  stations  them- 
selves and  for  the  native  soldiery  the  workshop  was  also 
busy  on  orders  of  cupboards  and  chairs  for  the  district 
governor  at  Neu  Langenburg,  and  in  makiiig  furniture  for 
mission-stations  of  the  Berlin  Society.  When  it  is  borne 
in  mind,  that  in  addition  to  the  corps  of  steady  employees 
in  the  establishment  itself,  and  for  the  transportation  of  the 
finished  goods,  between  550  and  600  persons  were  employed 
in  transporting  raw  lumber  from  the  forest  to  the  woik- 
shop,  the  significance  of  the  estabhshment  in  connection 
with  the  social  uplift  and  economic  development  of  the 
Konde  people  will  appear.  That  the  people  are  willing,  in- 
deed often  anxious  for  employment,  has  been  experienced 
repeatedly.     When  for  example  on  one  occasion  fifty  men 


162  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

were  wanted  in  Rungwe  to  make  bricks,  five  hundred  per- 
sons made  application  for  work. 

Of  probably  yet  greater  value  for  the  land  itself  in  time 
to  come  are  the  efl^orts  put  forth  by  the  mission  to  intro- 
duce to  the  people  new  products  of  the  soil.  Potatoes  have 
already  been  widely  distributed  and  are  readily  grown 
throughouc  the  mountain  districts,  thanks  to  the  foresight 
of  the  missionaries.  Wheat,  introduced  by  the  Berlin  mis- 
sion, thrives  at  a  given  altitude.  Rice  has  begun  to  enter 
into  the  calculations  of  the  people  of  the  swampy  lowlands, 
near  Lake  Nyasa,  and  will  soon  be  one  of  their  staple  foods. 
At  various  stations  experiments  have  been  made  with  the 
planting  of  coffee,  with  varying  success — in  some  cases  the 
white  ants  have  gnawed  the  bark  of  the  roots  so  that  the 
bushes  withered,  elsewhere  good  crops  are  gathered.  Tea 
has  been  grown.  The  seeds  of  cotton,  furnished  by  the 
government,  have  been  experimented  with  at  various  places, 
but  it  is  too  early  to  determine  the  ultimate  prospects  of 
this  important  product.  All  manner  of  fruits  foreign  to 
Central  Africa  have  been  planted,  and  in  some  cases  with 
most  welcome  results,  the  native  population  having  also 
learned  their  value,  and  gladly  accepting  presents  of  young 
fruit-trees  to  plant  them  near  their  own  homes — plums, 
peaches,  apricots,  oranges,  lemons,  grapes,  mangoes,  guavas, 
figs,  pomegranates,  sapodillas,  dates,  and  even  apples  and 
walnuts.  It  is  scarcely  likely  that  the  last  two  will  thrive. 
(In  addition,  many  varieties  of  useful  timber  have  been  set 
out,  including  the  eucalyptus).  Experiments  are  also  being 
made  with  quinces  and  chestnuts.  Of  small  fruits  the 
European  strawberry,  and  the  African  blackberry  and 
gooseberry  flourish. 

Of  greatest  importance  in  this  connection  is  the  planta- 
tion of  the  mission  at  Kyimbila,  in  charge  of  Adolf  Stolz, 
whose  entire  time  and  attention  are  devoted  to  this  under- 
taking and  who  has  won  for  himself  a  name  in  East  Africa 
as  a  specialist  in  forestry  and  horticultural  experimentation. 
All  visitors  unite  in  expecting  much  from  this  plantation  in 
years  to  come.     So,  for  example  the  well-known  German 


THE    MISSION    AS   A    CIVILIZING    FORCE.  163 

newspaper  correspondent  and  traveler,  Emil  Zimmerman, 
wrote  in  the  Hamburger  Nachrichtcn  of  Octobei^  18,  1910, 
in  connection  with  his  description  of  his  visit  to  Neu  Lang- 
enburg : 

"Yesterday  afternoon  I  visited  the  Herrnhut  trade  and 
plantation  and  mission  station,  Kyimbila,  four  kilometers 
away.  Here  the  missionary  Stolz  has  established  a  large 
rubber  plantation.  The  lianes  develop  splendidly.  True, 
they  can  not  be  tapped  for  ten  or  twelve  years.  If  the 
result  is  in  proportion  to  the  present  promise,  this  plan- 
tation will  be  of  the  greatest  importance  for  the  moun- 
tain districts  of  the  colony.  Mr.  Stolz,  who  has  surrounded 
the  plantation  with  a  hedge  of  roses,  has  also  planted  a 
number  of  tea  plants,  which  have  likewise  developed  finely. 
His  cofifee,  as  is  the  case  everywhere  here,  stands  in  ex- 
cellent condition."  And  Professor  Dr.  Haussleiter,  of 
Halle,  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  in  December  of  the  same 
year,  wrote :  "The  advantageous  situation  of  Kyimbila 
causes  it  to  be  a  place  of  recreation  for  missionaries  from 
the  other  stations.  The  peculiarity  of  the  place,  and  what 
will  perhaps  in  future  give  it  fame  is  the  culture  of  the 
rubber  plant  Laiidolphia  Stohii  Busse.  Brother  Stolz  dis- 
covered this  variety  of  liane,  which  he  named  after  himself, 
and  removed  specimens  from  the  neighboring  primeval  for- 
est to  his  garden,  and  since  1903  has  been  experimenting 
with  them.  Rapidly  growing  varieties  of  trees  have  been 
planted  at  intervals  of  about  38  feet,  and  they  serve  as  the 
supports  of  the  lianes,  which  are  planted  between  and 
branch  out  widely.  So  the  valuable  vines  form  garlands 
about  the  trees  that  serve  them  in  place  of  trellises.  The 
results  of  the  experiment  were  so  favorable,  that  in  1908-09 
a  surface  of  about  75  hectares  on  both  slopes  of  a  valley 
abounding  in  water  were  laid  out  as  a  plantation.  The 
next  years  will  tell,  whether  this  significant  experiment  de- 
serves further  extension."  Here  again  it  is  evident,  that 
already  in  connection  with  the  weeding  and  cultivation  of 
this  plantation  the  natives  enjoy  an  opportunity  of  steady 
employment.     Its  significance  wil!  increase,  when  the  time 


164  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

for  systematic  tapping  of  the  plants  has  arrived,  and  when 
the  success  of  the  experiment  undertaken  by  the  mission, 
will  cause  the  people  themselves  to  undertake  the  cultivation 
of  rubber  on  their  own  plots  of  ground.  For  by  that  time, 
it  is  likely  that  the  Central  Railway  of  East  Africa,  now 
being  energetically  constructed  to  Tabora,  will  have  pushed 
forth  a  branch  line  by  way  of  Iringa  to  Neu  Langenburg, 
from  this  point  to  advance  to  the  southern  end  of  Lake 
Tanganyika,  since  by  this  route  the  mineral  treasures  of 
the  Congo  State  may  be  most  conveniently  transported  to 
the  Indian  Ocean.  Indeed  when  this  undertaking  has  been 
completed,  the  industrious  people  of  thickly  populated  and 
fruitful  Kondeland  will  at  last  have  an  incentive  to  draw- 
wealth  from  the  abundant  latent  resources  of  their  soil,  and 
will  the  more  readily  respond  to  the  instructions  and  ex- 
ample of  the  missionaries  in  connection  with  the  honoring 
of  honest  toil. 

Mention  may  yet  be  made  of  a  somewhat  less  important 
experiment  of  the  mission  to  introduce  beasts  of  burden, 
by  the  importation  of  Muscat  donkeys  and  the  rearing  of 
the  same,  this  animal  being  reputed  to  resist  the  tsetse  fly, 
so  fatal  to  the  horse.  Some  thirty  head  were  in  the  stables 
at  Kyimbila  in  1910.  The  experiment  with  sheep  and  with 
a  breed  of  cattle  superior  to  the  native  stock  is  too  new  to 
permit  of  a  conclusion  as  to  its  profitableness.  The  trade 
carried  on  at  Kyimbila,  and  to  a  slight  extent  also  at  other 
stations,  is  of  minor  importance,  its  primary  purpose  being 
to  supply  the  missionaries  and  the  stations  with  necessaries 
of  life  and  manufactured  goods  that  must  be  imported  from 
Europe,  as  well  as  to  save  converts  from  imposition  at  the 
hands  of  East  Indian  and  Arab  traders. 

That  in  all  these  ways  and  through  these  various  agencies 
the  mission  is  exerting  a  most  valuable  influence  as  a  power 
that  makes  for  civilization  and  culture,  is  most  apparent. 

Although  there  has  been  considerable  progress  of  a  gen- 
eral nature  in  the  colony  since  the  Mission  was  commenced 
in  it,  thus  far  the  number  of  European    settlers    has    re- 


THE    MISSION    AS   A    CIVILIZING    FORCE.  165 

mained  under  the  original  expectations.  This  holds  good 
especially  of  the  interior.  By  the  transference  of  the  seat 
of  local  government  from  the  shore  of  Lake  Nyasa  to  Neu 
Langenburg  in  the  heart  of  the  Konde  country,  the  energiz- 
ing influence  of  well-ordered  colonial  management  has  been 
felt  in  the  entire  district. 


12 


166  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  THE   MISSION. 

Of  incalculable  importance  in  connection  with  the  de- 
velopment and  organization  of  the  rapidly  growing  enter- 
prise in  Nyasa  was  the  official  visit  paid  to  each  station  and 
the  entire  field  by  Bishop  Paul  Hennig  on  commission  of 
the  Mission  Board  during  the  years  1905  and  1906.  His 
own  many  years  of  missionary  experience  in  South  Africa, 
and  his  work  of  further  administration  as  a  member  of  the 
Central  Mission  Board  of  the  Moravian  Church  after  hav- 
ing filled  the  office  of  Superintendent  in  Cape  Colony  for 
more  than  a  decade,  eminently  qualified  him  to  inspect  the 
work  and  advise  with  the  workers.  Having  traveled  by 
way  of  Mombasa,  the  railway  to  Port  Florence,  Lake  Vic- 
toria Nyanza  and  the  overland  caravan  route  via  Mwansa 
and  Tabora,  and  having  inspected  the  mission  stations  es- 
tablished in  Unyamwesi,  he  reached  Rungwe  on  September 
1,  1905,  and  left  Kondeland  on  February  13,  1906,  to  make 
his  way  back  to  Europe  via  the  Livingstonia  Mission  and 
the  Shire.  During  his  stay  in  Rungwe  a  most  important 
General  Missionary  Conference  was  convened  under  his 
chairmanship,  at  which  the  past  of  the  mission  was  minute- 
ly reviewed,  its  present  scrutinized  and  the  policy  to  be 
adopted  for  the  future  carefully  mapped  out. 

It  is  especially  the  fruit  of  this  official  visit,  that  the  very 
organization  of  the  mission  makes  provision  for  the  sys- 
tematic development  of  the  Native  Church  as  such  in  this 
mission-field.  A  carefully  worked  out  plan  provides  for 
the  use  of  the  contributions  of  the  native  members,  which 
are  to  be  systematically  collected  from  the  commencement 
of  their  identification  with  the  Church,  in  order  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  Native  Church  as  such,  and  not  for 
the  support  of  the  European  missionaries.  Account  is  ren- 
dered for  the  use  of  these  monies  to  the  native  members  in 
each  congregation,  and  they  have  a  voice  in  connection  with 
the  appropriation  of  the  same.     Through  the  "Helpers"  or 


THE  PRESENT  STATITS  OF  THE   MISSION.  167 

"Elders"  of  the  congregations  the  native  membership  ex- 
ercises an  influence  in  connection  with  the  administration 
of  church  disciphne.  The  views  of  these  more  advanced 
Christians  are  secured  before  the  missionaries  decide  on 
the  baptism  of  any  candidate.  In  short  every  proper  method 
is  employed  in  order  to  let  the  membership  feel  that  respon- 
sibility for  the  moral  condition  of  the  congregation  rests 
with  them  and  not  merely  with  the  missionaries.  The  goal 
that  is  being  kept  in  view  is  that  of  the  self-maintained,  self- 
administered  and  self-extending  Native  Church.  And  the 
people  are  responding  to  this  sense  of  responsibility,  that 
is  to  make  them  men  and  not  leave  them  mere  children  in 
Christ.  By  the  very  organization  of  the  mission  moreover, 
especially  since  the  official  visit  of  Bishop  Hennig,  emphasis 
is  being  laid  on  the  necessity  of  raising  up  a  staff  of  well- 
equipped  native  evangelists  that  this  part  of  Africa  may 
be  evangelized  by  the  Africans.  Repeatedly  in  his  reports 
of  his  visitation  and  consistently  since  then,  he  has  used 
words  that  have  now  practically  found  embodiment  in  the 
written  constitution  and  rules  and  regulations  of  the  mis- 
sion: "We  should  have  more  missionaries  in  the  field,  all 
endowed  with  the  perfection  of  health  and  strength,  so  that 
they  may  be  able  to  escape  the  tropical  fever;  with  skillful 
and  practical  knowledge  of  various  handicrafts ;  with  a 
natural  gift  for  acquiring  mastery  of  the  many  native  dia- 
lects ;  they  must  really  be  Africans  in  the  midst  of  the  na- 
tive Africans.  In  Africa  we  have  to  deal  with  millions.  It 
is  difficult  to  foresee  how  they  may  all  be  reached  with  the 
Gospel.  Yet  the  Lord  has  opened  for  us  the  doors  of  this 
long  closed  land.  In  consequence  of  the  great  needs,  the 
fewness  of  the  European  missionaries,  and  the  requests 
from  all  sides  for  missionaries,  a  large  number  of  native 
evangelists  have  been  assigned  to  various  details  of  the 
work.  //  seems  plainly  to  be  God's  method  that  Africa 
shall  be  zvon  for  the  Gospel  by  means  of  Africans.  Only 
by  presentirg  the  highest  ideals,  and  through  the  most  faith- 
ful oversight  and  the  wisest  organization,  can  a  class  of 
young  native  Christians  be  so  trained  that  they  may  be  able 


168  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

to  worthily  assist  the  regularly  appointed  messengers  of 
the  Gospel." 

Accordingly  in  the  regulations  of  the  mission  provision 
has  not  merely  been  made  that  the  riper  men  of  each  con- 
gregation shall  let  their  character  and  experience  and 
knowledge  of  the  life  of  their  fellow-countrymen  make  it- 
self felt  in  connection  with  the  organic  life  of  the  congre- 
gation ;  the  Native  Church  has  been  provided  with  the  op- 
portunity of  occasionally  convening  in  the  persons  of  its 
representatives,  to  consult  about  the  welfare  of  the  Native 
Church  as  a  whole.  The  result  of  this  radically  progressive 
measure,  adopted  so  early  in  the  life  of  this  mission,  can 
not  but  make  for  manly  self-reliance  as  a  Christian  body, 
safe-guarded  as  it  is  moreover  in  various  ways.  For  it 
goes  with  the  saying  that  the  powers  of  the  council  of  the 
Native  Church  are  and  must  be  limited  and  somewhat 
hedged  in  by  the  supervision  of  the  executive  conference 
of  the  mission  so  long  as  complete  self-maintenance,  ethical 
as  well  as  financial,  has  not  yet  been  attained. 

The  current  administration  of  the  mission  itself  lies  in 
the  hands  of  a  so-called  "Provincial  Conference,"  whose 
chairman  is  the  Superintendent,  under  the  ultimate  control 
of  the  Mission  Board  in  Europe.  And  from  time  to  time 
the  whole  body  of  missionary  workers  convenes  as  the 
"General  Missionary  Conference." 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1910  the  membership  of  the  con- 
gregations had  passed  the  first  thousand,  numbering  1087. 
The  males  outnumbered  the  females.  Furthermore  the 
names  of  535  candidates  for  baptism  stood  on  the  lists,  and 
to  these  must  be  added  1006  who  desired  instruction.  On 
the  whole  the  membership  had  been  recruited  from  among 
those  who  had  not  yet  reached  mid-life.  Beyond  this  circle 
the  missionaries  had  to  do  with  a  yet  larger  number,  who 
with  more  or  less  regularity  attended  the  public  services. 
No  less  than  4258  adults  and  children  were  in  attendance 
in  the  schools.  Seventy-eight  evangelists  were  at  work,  and 
in  addition  twenty-four  male  and   fourteen   female  elders 


THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  THE   MISSIOM.  169 

aided  the  missionaries  in  the  maintenance  of  discipline  in 
the  congregations. 

In  various  cases  the  evangelists  were  at  the  same  time 
serving  as  teachers ;  but  apart  from  them  24  teachers  and 
41  assistants  (monitors)  were  serving  in  the  schools.  Prac- 
tically 5100  persons  in  all  had  identified  themselves  in  one 
way  or  another  with  the  mission  in  so  far  as  willingness 
to  receive  the  message  was  concerned,  and  to  these  might 
also  be  added  the  lepers  at  the  various  leper  colonies  under 
the  supervision  of  the  missionaries,  about  1500  in  number. 
Verily  a  marked  advance  in  comparison  with  the  state  of 
things  tw-enty  years  previous. 

That  a  new  period  in  the  development  of  the  mission  has 
been  reached,  is  apparent  to  all  acquainted  with  its  inner 
history.  The  era  of  busy  external  work  of  building  activ- 
ity and  other  operations  connected  with  the  founding  of 
the  stations  hastens  to  an  end.  Minor  building  operations 
remain  to  be  carried  out  at  Mueia.  Rungwe  will  soon  re- 
quire a  building  really  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  Normal 
School,  and  Isoko  should  have  a  church.  P>ut  for  the  great- 
er part  of  the  year  such  of  the  people  who  have  been  at- 
tracted to  the  stations  and  their  vicinity  by  the  opportunity 
of  obtaining  employment  will  find  it  only  in  Kyimbila,  with 
its  plantation  and  Rungwe  with  its  car])enter  shop.  On  the 
other  hand  need  of  money  has  now  begun  to  make  itself 
felt,  and  with  it  therefore  the  need  of  an  opportunity  to 
earn.  The  colonial  government  has  instituted  a  system  of 
taxation — for  this  rupees  must  be  had.  Wants  have  arisen, 
modest  enough  indeed — more  adequate  clothing  to  meet 
with  the  requirements  of  decency,  doors  and  windows  for 
the  homes — and  money  is  needed  to  procure  these.  But 
European  settlers,  from  whom  wages  might  be  received  in 
return  for  services,  are  very  few  in  the  vicinity.  Hence  it 
is  to  be  expected  that  the  men  may  follow  the  impulse  to 
go  to  the  coast  or  to  the  Rhodesian  gold  fields  in  search  of 
work.  Possibly  therefore  a  period  of  dispersion  is  likely 
to  set  in.     It  will  be  a  time  of  special  test.     Will  the  con- 


170  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

verts  stand  firm,  when  they  come  into  a  new  and  possibly 
heathen  environment  and  serve  there  as  good  leaven? 

Doubtless  the  outposts  will  gain  in  significance  as  the 
years  pass,  whilst  the  stations  a  such  will  not  grow  in  size 
as  Christian  villages,  but  rather  retain  importance  as  the 
foci  whence  Christian  influences  radiate,  garrisons  where 
the  special  strength  of  the  Army  of  the  Cross  is  concen- 
trated. Already  this  tendency  is  decidedly  to  be  noted.  Of 
the  1087  members  at  the  end  of  the  year  1910,  714  live  at 
the  stations  and  373  at  outposts  or  in  heathen  villages.  Of 
the  "Candidates  for  baptism"  310  and  of  the  "New  Peo- 
ple" 581  live  at  the  stations,  whilst  the  outposts  and  villages 
claim  225  "Candidates  for  baptism"  and  425  "New  People." 
On  the  other  hand  may  we  not  reasonably  hope  that  just  by 
reason  of  this  dispersion,  the  Gospel  may  advance  all  the 
more  rapidly,  if  the  converts  are  true  exponents  of  its  self- 
propagating  character? 

The  steady  increase  in  the  number  of  converts  year  by 
year  is  indeed  an  irrefutable  proof  that  the  change  in  the 
lives  of  the  Christians  testifies  to  others  of  the  saving  grace 
of  their  Lord.  Yet  the  number  of  those  under  discipline, 
seventy-nine,  some  of  whom  have  for  years  stubbornly 
withstood  the  pleadings  of  conscience  and  their  own  better 
knowledge,  is  a  humiliating  and  disturbing  factor  in  the 
situation.  Nevertheless,  when  the  temptations  and  the  in- 
herited tendency  to  sins  of  a  certain  type  are  taken  into 
account,  there  is  greatest  reason  to  thank  God  that  the  evi- 
dences of  a  clean  Christian  life  are  so  many  and  so  striking. 

As  yet  the  efforts  of  Islam  to  make  a  breach  in  the  young 
congregations  have  proved  of  no  effect.  For  many  years 
not  a  single  case  of  perversion  from  among  the  ranks  of  the 
Christians  required  to  be  recorded,  thank  God.  The  mis- 
sionaries are  meanwhile  alert  in  regard  to  the  danger  that 
threatens  from  this  quarter. 

The  activity  of  the  elders  of  the  congregation  is  of  ever 
increasing  value.  They  are  more  and  more  coming  to  re- 
alize the  significance  and  importance  of  their  office  and 
render  very  valuable  assistance  to  the  missionaries. 


THE   PRESENT  STATUS  OF  THE    MISSION.  171 

Gradually  the  congregations  are  coming  to  understand 
and  to  endeavor  to  do  their  part  in  connection  with  the 
financial  side  of  the  mission.  lUit  the  money-power  of  the 
Christians  is  as  yet  exceedingly  small.  Possibility  of  earn- 
ing anything  is  scarcely  at  hand  in  Mbozi,  Utengule  and 
Ileya.  Nevertheless  in  the  year  1910  the  seven  hundred 
adult  members  contributed  at  the  rate  of  nearly  three  rupees 
per  capita.  It  remains  the  task  of  the  missionaries  to  teach 
them  ways  of  cultivating  the  grace  of  Christian  liberality 
and  to  instruct  them  in  prc)portionate  giving.  Whilst 
money  is  scarce  the  Konde  man  is  often  the  proud  owner 
of  valuable  herds.  These  he  needs  to  learn  to  offer  to  the 
Lord. 

Meantime  the  number  of  young  Christians  is  steadily 
grow'ing,  and  with  it  the  proportion  of  those  who  have  en- 
joyed some  schooling.  The  children  of  Christians  are  be- 
ginning to  come  forward,  so  that  soon  there  will  be  a  val- 
uable proportion  of  Christians  in  the  second  generation, 
with  all  that  this  implies — such  who  from  personal  experi- 
ence know  slightly  less  of  the  corrupting  and  deadening  in- 
fluences of  the  old  superstitions  and  heathen  usages.  But 
therewith  new  problems  also  confront  the  mission.  The 
Church  must  take  a  position  with  reference  to  the  marriages 
of  such — must  ascertain  for  example  whether  the  native 
custom  of  dowries  can  be  adapted  to  Christian  marriage 
principles  and  in  that  case  how  the  new  usage  is  to  be 
formed.  Indeed  all  manner  of  old  customs  must  be  scrutin- 
ized, and  a  decision  reached,  as  to  whether  they  are  in 
themselves  of  neutral  character  in  the  light  of  Christian 
morals,  national  practices  ethically  of  negative  significance 
only,  and  so  not  incompatible  with  a  wise  proj)agation  of 
the  Gospel  that  seeks  to  Christianize  but  not  to  denation- 
alize— or  whether  they  must  be  abolished  root  and  branch. 
Child-marriage  and  all  the  direct  and  indirect  a])i)endages 
of  polygamy  must  be  warded  off  from  the  children  of  Chris- 
tian parents,  and  not  be  permitted  to  insidit)usly  creep  into 
the  life  of  the  rising  Christian  comiuunity. 


172  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

The  educational  work,  reaching  as  it  does  4258,  who  are 
daily  counted  and  therefore  in  actual  stated  attendance, 
constitutes  a  most  important  factor  in  the  influencing  of 
the  life  of  the  people,  including  the  heathen.  Here  most 
valuable  opportunities  are  presented,  even  though  from  the 
standpoint  of  a  school-man  the  methods  employed  still  leave 
very  much  to  be  desired.  It  is  still  the  day  of  small  things. 
The  proportion  of  adults  to  children  among  those  in  at- 
tendance varies  very  much  at  the  different  stations — some- 
times a  sixth,  an  eighth,  even  as  many  as  the  half  of  the 
scholars  may  be  above  sixteen  years  of  age.  In  the  vicin- 
ity of  certain  stations  only  a  fraction  of  those  of  school  age 
has  as  yet  been  brought  into  the  school.  Compulsory  edu- 
cation has  not  been  ordered  by  the  government.  Much  de- 
pends therefore  on  the  attitude  taken  by  the  respective 
chiefs  overagainst  education.  To  judge  the  degree  of  actual 
thirst  for  knowledge  among  the  adults  is  more  easy  than 
in  the  case  of  the  children — for  the  former  come  only  when 
there  is  a  real  desire.  Other  motives  may  play  a  part  in 
the  case  of  the  children — the  wish  of  parents,  orders  of  a 
chief  to  the  people  of  his  village;  at  the  station,  the  regu- 
lations of  the  place,  the  request  of  a  missionary,  urgency 
of  the  teacher  or  of  an  evangelist.  All  these  exert  more 
or  less  pressure  on  the  children,  even  though  compulsory 
education  as  such  is  unknown. 

School  fees  are  required  to  be  paid — at  the  stations,  from 
two  to  six  hellers  a  month,  according  to  the  grade  of  in- 
struction imparted.  The  village  schools  not  unnaturally  re- 
main in  the  back-ground  in  this  respect.  The  fees  are  often 
earned  by  the  children  themselves,  for  example  by  doing 
weeding  for  the  mission  station. 

The  defects  of  the  school-system  from  the  standpoint  of 
a  professional  educator  are  and  must  for  a  time  remain  not 
a  few.  First  and  foremost  stands  the  poor  quality  of  the 
teachers  themselves,  untrained,  though  not  unblessed  with 
native  gifts.  Rut  in  the  day  of  beginnings  the  mission  must 
help  itself  witli  the  means  at  hand;  and  all  that  can  be  done 
is  being  done  to  insure  that  those  teachers  who  have  both 


THE   PRESENT  STATUS  OF  THE   MISSION.  173 

capacity  and  desire,  may  improve  their  knowledge  as  the 
years  pass.  Then  in  the  second  place  school  books  are  few. 
Primers  exist,  but  the  lack  of  a  good  "Reader"  is  felt.  The 
Gospels  have  been  serving  this  purpose  thus  far ;  but  the 
edition  has  now  been  exhausted ;  another  must  be  printed. 
The  preparation  of  a  "Reader"  adapted  to  the  requirements 
of  Kondehuid  has  been  long  under  consideration ;  but  as  yet 
no  missionary  has  been  able  to  tind  the  time  to  carry  out 
the  plan  amid  the  press  of  his  more  immediate  daily  work. 
With  a  view  to  supply  the  need  of  trained  teachers  the 
Normal  School  was  founded  at  Rungwe,  in  charge  of  an 
experienced  educator,  Oskar  Gemuseus.  Part  of  the  for- 
mer church  has  been  rearranged  and  equipped  as  a  home 
for  this  institution.  At  the  close  of  1910  it  was  attended 
by  eleven  men  and  lads,  ranging  in  age  from  twenty-four 
to  about  sixteen,  with  one  Ijoy  of  twelve.  Two  of  the  three 
men  twenty-four  years  of  age,  are  already  married.  The 
course  of  instruction  embraced  the  following  subjects  dur- 
ing 1910:  Language  with  the  writing  of  Compositions;  in 
addition  to  a  study  of  the  Konde,  the  mother-tongue  of  the 
men,  one  hour  of  Suaheli  each  day,  the  grammar  of  the 
mother  tongue  being  studied  also  by  comparison  with  the 
Suaheli.  Religious  instruction ;  in  the  Old  Testament,  the 
History  of  Israel  to  the  Exodus ;  in  the  New  Testament, 
the  Gospel  according  to  Mark,  Mark  also  serving  as  a 
"Reader."  '  Writing,  in  Latin  characters.  .Arithmetic,  the 
four  rudimentary  operations  both  with  and  without  the  use 
of  the  slate.  Geography,  a  knowledge  of  their  own  imme- 
diate region  and  of  German  East  Africa.  Natural  Llistory, 
Mammals,  and  some  of  the  chief  races  of  men.  Singing. 
On  two  afternoons  of  the  week  the  men  set  type  and  worked 
at  the  printing-press.  On  other  afternoons  they  tilled  their 
own  gardens  and  fields,  working  for  their  own  support.  The 
report  states  that  the  results  disclosed  very  decidedly  the 
difficulties  that  arise  from  the  various  degrees  of  previous 
education  which  the  pupils  had  hitherto  enjoyed.  Never- 
theless there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  this  higher  school  lies 
a  strategic  point  for  the  development  of  educational  work 


174  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

among  the  Konde  peoples.  With  every  advance  in  its  effi- 
ciency a  steady  improvement  in  the  entire  school  system  is 
to  be  expected. 

Year  by  year  the  work  of  the  native  evangelists  has  grown 
in  importance.  At  the  close  of  1910  forty-eight  .outposts 
were  occupied  by  and  cared  for  by  them,  and  in  addition 
894  preaching  places  were  served  at  shorter  or  longer  in- 
tervals as  they  made  their  circuits.  That  the  land  is  very 
thinly  occupied  by  its  inhabitants  in  some  districts,  a  village 
consisting  of  half  a  dozen  huts,  as  contrasted  with  the  popu- 
lous centers  met  with  in  other  districts,  complicates  the  ar- 
ranging of  the  circuits  and  renders  the  labors  of  the  evan- 
gelists often  very  arduous  and  wearisome.  Were  the  popu- 
lation more  evenly  distributed,  it  would  be  more  easy  to 
assign  the  circuits.  But  the  evangelists  do  their  work  will- 
ingly and  with  great  fidelity.  Words  of  praise  can  scarcely 
be  too  high  for  them,  however  clearly  their  limitations  are 
recognized.  Without  their  assistance  it  is  certain  that 
Europeans  could  not  have  accomplished  anything  like  what 
has  been  accomplished  in  recent  years.  If  now  and  again 
a  Judas  has  appeared  in  their  ranks,  it  temporarily  has  in- 
volved a  blow  to  the  cause,  humiliated  the  missionaries,  and 
rendered  them  more  cautious  in  the  making  of  their  ap- 
pointments ;  but  never  can  it  hinder  them  from  venturing 
on  the  attempt  to  employ  the  xA-frican  Christian  for  the  con- 
version of  his  countryman.  Like  the  teachers,  they  too  need 
to  be  further  trained  and  are  being  trained  as  opportunity 
and  time  allow. 


UNYAMWESl.  175 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

UNYAMWESr. 

On  January  2,  1898,  a  procession,  that  was  for  Africa 
aecidedly  imposing,  entered  the  village  of  Uranibo  in  the 
heart  of  (lerman  East  Africa,  and  to  the  northwest  of  the 
important  former  Arab  trading  post  and  native  city  of  Ta- 
bora.  At  its  head  rode  tw^o  Europeans  on  Muscat  donkeys 
and  two  white  ladies  were  borne  after  them  in  i)alanquin- 
like  hammocks  on  the  shoulders  of  black  porters.  A  long 
column  of  additional  ])orters  balanced  on  their  heads  boxes 
and  bales  containing  their  effects.  Not  a  few  of  these  men 
were  accom])anied  by  their  wives  and  children.  In  all  one 
might  have  counted  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  natives, 
as  the  caravan  filed  into  the  village.  Stains  of  travel,  and 
rents,  where  clothing  had  come  into  contact  with  the  thorns 
of  the  "pari,"  proclaimed  that  the  journey  had  been  a  long 
one.  Since  the  31st  of  October  the  travelers  had  been  on 
the  road  from  Bagamcn'o.  on  the  coast  opposite  to  Zanzi- 
bar. And  had  it  not  been  for  the  hospitality  received  along 
the  route  at  various  missionary  stations  and  military  posts, 
their  condition  would  doubtless  have  spoken  yet  more  elo- 
quently of  the  hardships  of  the  way. 

IJut  now  at  length  rest  was  within  reach,  and  the  wan- 
derers were  greeted  with  the  reception  usually  accorded 
to  conquerors  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  so  glad  were  the  peo- 
ple of  Urambo  to  welcome  them.  The  peo])le  came  in 
crowds  under  the  lead  of  their  chief,  bearing  banners  of 
bright  stuff  or  waving  long  reeds.  With  swinging  clubs 
native  warriors  executed  a  war-dance  in  honor  of  the 
strangers.  Inquisitive  and  friendly  women  and  girls  sur- 
rounded the  hammocks  of  the  white  ladies.  Each  wanted 
to  press  their  hands,  so  that  the  unrestrained  gladness  of 
the  welcome  threatened  to  bring  them  to  grief.  Shouts  of 
joy  rent  the  air.  A  torrent  of  questions  poured  forth  from 
dusky  throats   in   a  language  utterly   foreign.      The   whole 


176  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

experience  was  so  surprising  as  almost  to  overwhelm  the 
newcomers. 

At  last  they  could  halt  under  tall  trees  that  crowned  a 
hill,  whence  an  entrancing  view  might  be  had  of  the  rolling 
landscape  of  Unyamwesi.  Just  below  them  lay  the  solidly 
built  houses  of  the  mission-station  of  Urambo.  This  was 
the  goal  of  their  long  wanderings  by  sea  and  land.  For  the 
caravan  was  that  of  the  missionaries  Edmund  Dahl  and 
Konrad  Meier,  who  had  come  in  accordance  with  an  agree- 
ment between  the  London  Missionary  Society  and  the  Mis- 
sion Board  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  order  to  take  over 
for  the  latter  this  station  now  two  decades  old. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  Urambo  had 
enjoyed  a  certain  amount  of  fame  in  equatorial  African 
circles,  as  the  headquarters  of  a  certain  "Sultan"  Mirambo, 
one  of  the  richest  and  most  influential  chieftains  of  the 
land.  He  had  even  dared  to  oppose  the  Arab  traders,  and 
had  done  so  successfully,  cutting  ofT  their  direct  intercourse 
between  their  important  trading-center,  Tabora,  a  town  of 
more  than  35.000  people,  and  their  great  entrepot  Ujiji,  on 
Lake  Tanganyika.  Stanley  had  even  called  him  a  "black 
Napoleon." 

The  very  first  contact  between  Christianity  and  Mirambo's 
realm  went  back  to  the  great  Dr.  David  Livingstone.  In 
1877  Ujiji  was  occupied  by  the  London  Missionary  Society 
and  the  road  thither  passed  through  the  stations  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  Mamboia,  Mpapua  and  Ujui. 
But  since  a  couple  of  hundred  miles  lay  between  Ujui  and 
Ujiji,  it  seemed  advisable  to  secure  a  half-way  house  on 
the  route.  This  led  to  the  occupation  of  Urambo  by  the 
medical  missionary,  Dr.  Southon,  in  1879.  A  promising 
commencement  was  made.  In  a  comparatively  short  time 
the  physician  won  the  confidence  of  Mirambo  and  of  his 
people  by  means  of  his  medical  skill.  But  his  career  was 
destined  to  be  brief  and  his  end  tragic.  Whilst  on  an  ex- 
cursion his  black  servant  accidentally  shot  him  in  the  arm. 
There  was  no  one  at  hand  to  amputate  the  shattered  limb. 
A  messenger  was  sent  to  Ujui.  and  after  a  few  days  the 


UNYAMWESI.  177 

help  that  had  been  summoned  appeared.  The  arm  was  now 
removed  by  the  missionary  colleague  in  accordance  with 
directions  given  by  the  sufferer.  But  it  was  too  late.  Mor- 
tification had  already  set  in.  On  his  deathbed  Dr.  Southon 
bade  Mirambo  receive  his  successor  in  a  friendly  manner, 
and  the  mourning  chief  replied :  "O,  brother,  do  not  speak 
so.  I  would  give  a  great  deal,  rather  than  have  you  die. 
Whether  I  shall  like  the  next  as  I  have  liked  you,  I  do  not 
know.  But  what  I  can  do  for  him,  I  will  do."  This  tran- 
spired in  1882. 

A  successor  came — the  missionary  Thomas  F.  Shaw, 
who  labored  thirteen  years  in  Urambo,  and  to  whose  dili- 
gence and  energ}-  the  erection  of  the  solidly  built  houses 
is  to  be  ascribed.  From  time  to  time  assistants  were  sent 
out  to  him.  last  of  all  an  artizan-missionary,  Draper.  But 
he  was  called  away  before  he  could  rejoice  in  seeing  tangi- 
ble fruits  of  his  labor  in  the  baptism  of  converts.  The 
grounds  for  the  withdrawal  were  apparently  the  following: 
The  mission  at  Ujiji.  which  had  occasioned  the  establish- 
ment of  Urambo.  did  not  flourish.  The  conflict  there  proved 
too  uneven,  for  the  might  of  the  Arab  traders,  fanatic  Mo- 
hammedans, had  not  yet  been  broken.  It  had  cost  many 
precious  lives  and  much  money.  On  the  other  hand  better 
hopes  could  be  entertained  of  Niamkolo,  at  the  southern 
end  of  Lake  Tanganyika.  Moreover  in  accordance  with 
the  international  agreements  of  1885,  Ujiji  lay  within  the 
sphere  of  German  influence,  and  with  it  also  Urambo.  Ni- 
amkolo was  in  territory  assigned  to  Britain.  Hence  it  was 
not  unnatural  that  the  London  Missionary  Society  sought 
for  German  workers,  who  would  be  willing  to  take  over 
Urambo.  that  it  might  devote  its  energies  to  the  tribes 
within  the  British  sphere. 

After  the  application  of  the  London  Society  had  been 
made  without  result  to  other  German  missionary  organiza- 
tions, in  April,  1894,  the  request  reached  the  Executive 
Board  of  the  Moravian  Church  at  Berthelsdorf  near  Herrn- 
hut.  Various  considerations  caused  the  negotiations,  thus 
begun,  to  result  favorably  two  year^  later,  the  Moravian 


178  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

Church  agreeing  to  take  over  the  work  by  purchasing  the 
buildings  at  Urambo.  A  special  incentive  was  the  consider- 
ation that  thereby  the  mission,  commenced  in  Nyasa,  would 
enjoy  the  moral  right  to  branch  out  to  the  north,  and  thus 
a  sphere  of  operations  be  won,  worthy  of  the  best  efforts 
of  the  Moravian  Church  and  its  friends. 

The  arrival  of  Dahl  and  Meier  crowned  the  completion 
of  these  negotiations,  and  during  the  course  of  the  same 
year  they  were-  privileged  to  welcome  as  their  future  leader 
Rudolf  Stern,  transferred  from  the  mission  in  Surinam  in 
order  to  become  the  superintendent  of  the  new  field.  Re- 
ceiving the  property  from  the  artizan-missionary  Draper, 
who  had  been  left  in  charge  by  the  London  Missionary  So- 
ciety after  the  recall  of  Shaw,  the  newcomers  found  their 
commencement  made  lighter  for  them  than  they  had  ex- 
pected— and  indeed  in  various  ways.  Not  only  had  friendly 
relations  between  the  Africans  and  Europeans  already  been 
established ;  not  only  did  they  find  a  dwelling,  adapted  to 
the  requirements  of  the  climate,  ready  for  them.  The 
habit  of  attendance  at  school  during  the  week  and  at  divine 
services  on  Sundays  had  already  been  formed  by  the  natives 
— on  the  very  first  Sunday  from  five  to  six  hundred  people 
assembled.  And  beyond  all  this,  the  linguistic  studies  of 
the  English  missionaries  paved  the  way  at  least  for  their 
mastery  of  the  language  of  the  Wanyamwesi.  No  wonder 
their  first  report  abounded  in  expressions  of  thanks  and 
praise. 

But  soon  followed  a  disappointment,  that  was  all  the  more 
bitter  in  contrast  with  the  early  hopes.  It  appeared  that  the 
marvellous  afifability  of  the  young  chief  and  his  people  had 
blossomed  forth  from  the  expectation  of  gains  supposed  to 
be  derivable  from  the  presence  of  the  strangers,  whose  car- 
avan brought  such  numerous  boxes  and  bales  of  goods.  If 
they  still  continued  to  respond  to  the  call  to  services,  it  was 
only  in  the  hope  of  at  last  receiving  presents.  This  came 
clearly  to  light  on  Good  Friday.  The  usual  crowd  assem- 
bled, indeed ;  but  when  the  hour  of  worship  passed,  and  no 
strips  of  printed  calico  were  distributed,  nothing  at  all  given, 


L^NYAMWKSI.  179 

murmurings  were  loud.  Similarly  the  scholars  made  very 
plain  their  disappointment,  when  at  the  close  of  each  month 
no  small  gift  rewarded  diligent  attendance.  Quite  natural- 
ly, too,  the  numbers  of  those  who  wielded  slate  and  pencil 
fell  off.  It  w^as  soon  apparent,  moreover,  that  the  sorcerers 
understood  how  to  make  capital  of  the  disappointment  of 
the  people.  Gradually,  too,  the  missionaries  discovered  dark- 
shadows  in  the  life  of  the  Wanyamwesi  and  found  that 
they  must  reckon  with  a  variety  of  elements  that  worked 
counter  to  their  evangelization.  First  and  foremost,  their 
readiness  to  accept  employment  as  "porters,"  which  took 
large  numbers  of  men  away  from  their  homes  and  brought 
them  into  contact  with  hostile  Mohammedan  influences  at 
the  sea-coast,  as  well  as  in  Tabora ;  then,  their  immorality, 
and  their  insatiable  love  of  native  beer,  drunkenness  being  a 
common  vice  of  this  people.  However  highly  the  mission- 
aries "prized  the  preparatory  work  of  their  predecessors, 
they  could  not  approve  of  nor  continue  certain  of  their 
methods,  and  their  literary  work  required  to  be  decidedly 
amended.  Shaw's  Kinyamwesi  (iospel  according  to  Mark 
required  a  revision  so  complete  as  to  amount  to  a  new 
translation,  the  work  of  Stern,  who  also  prepared  a  Gram- 
mar of  the  language.  Yet  they  plodded  on  patiently  and 
faithfully,  hoping  much  from  their  medical  missionary  work 
in  particular,  and  from  the  attention  they  paid  to  the  edu- 
cation of  orphan  children. 

It  soon  became  apparent,  however,  that  like  the  mission- 
aries of  the  London  Society,  their  successors  in  Urambo 
must  also  reckon  with  scanty  results  there,  at  least  for  years 
to  come.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing  drawbacks,  an  ele- 
ment of  restlessness  prevailed  among  the  people  owing  to 
their  own  political  experiences.  During  the  first  year  of 
Dahl  and  Meier,  the  successor  of  Mirambo  had  been  dis- 
placed by  the  colonial  government  and  a  representative  of 
the  former  line  of  chiefs  had  been  given  the  sway.  Time 
was  required  before  life  could  wholly  resume  its  normal 
course  among  the  Wanyamwesi. 


180  HISTORY  OF  NYASA  MISSION. 

The  less  brilliant  the  prospects  in  Urambo,  the  more  ne- 
cessary it  therefore  appeared  to  commence  missionary  op- 
erations at  some  other  center,  especially  if  this  isolated  post 
was  to  be  linked  to  the  group  of  stations  in  Nyasaland. 
Hence  in  1901  the  station  Kitunda  was  founded  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Kiwere,  lying  at  a  considerable  distance  to  the  south. 
Scarcely  had  the  missionaries  made  a  commencement  here, 
than  representatives  of  the  Roman  Catholic  mission  also 
appeared  on  the  scene  and  proposed  to  begin  a  rival  under- 
taking. But  this  the  government  inhibited.  But  now,  in 
order  to  secure  for  the  evangelical  faith  at  least  an  unbroken 
line  of  work  from  Urambo  to  Nyasa  and  to  present  a  bar- 
rier against  the  aggressiveness  of  Islam,  it  was  necessary 
speedily  to  establish  several  centers  of  work.  This  was  ef- 
fected by  the  founding  of  Sikonge  in  Ngulu  in  1902,  Ipole 
in  Ugunda— a  neighboring  but  totally  distinct  district — in 
1903 ;  Kipenbabwe  in  1904,  and  Usoke  in  1905.  From  Ur- 
ambo to  Kipembabwe  is  a  distance  of  about  seventeen  days' 
march.  The  entire  region  constitutes  a  lofty  plateau,  at  its 
more  elevated  southern-  end  rising  about  4250  feet  above  sea 
level.  Its  people  are  a  stalwart  race,  prized  as  plantation 
laborers  and  porters  throughout  the  north  of  the  colony. 
Here  and  there  the  scattered  remnants  of  tribes  are  also  to 
be  met  with,  that  do  not  belong  to  the  Bantu  race.  Though 
the  land  is  for  the  most  part  well  occupied,  in  some  in- 
stances more  than  ten  thousand  persons  being  within  reach 
from  a  single  station,  the  steppe  between  Ipole  and  Kitunda 
is  almost  uninhabited. 

A  special  advantage  lies  in  the  fact  that  about  eighty 
thousand  can  already  be  reached  through  the  medium  of  the 
Kinyamwesi,  for  dialectical  differences  have  been  polished 
away  to  a  great  extent  as  a  result  of  past  tribal  wars,  which 
have  resulted  in  a  considerable  amalgamation  of  formerly 
very  distinct  clans.  Stern,  Dahl  and  Lobner  have  distin- 
guished themselves  by  their  linguistic  work.  The  first 
Primer,  the  work  of  Dahl,  appeared  in  1903.  Stern's  trans- 
lation of  Matthew  was  printed  by  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  in  1907.     Stern  and  Buttner  reduced  to  writ- 


I 


UNYAMWESI.  181 

ing  the  Kichimbu,  the  dialect  of  Kipembabwe.  In  1909  a 
Code  of  Instructions  for  the  Native  EvangeHsts,  drawn  up 
by  Lobner,  appeared  in  print,  and  in  the  same  year  Stern's 
translations  of  stories  from  the  Old  Testament  could  be 
sent  to  Unyamwesi.  In  May,  1910,  thanks  to  the  generosity 
of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  Stern's  translation 
of  the  entire  New  Testament  could  be  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  native  Christians  of  Unyamwesi.  Lobner  has  also 
issued  a  Catechism  and  Stern  a  new  Primer. 

But  this  field  has  proven  a  peculiarly  trying  one  for  the 
health  of  the  missionaries.  The  water  supply  is  very  poor. 
Drought  has  been  frequent,  especially  in  Urambo.  Ma- 
laria and  black- water  fever  are  endemic.  In  particular  the 
constitution  of  the  wives  of  missionaries  has  been  sorely 
tried.  '  In  consequence  of  all  this,  not  only  has  labor  in  the 
field  been  often  interrupted,  but  a  number  of  workers,  who 
could  ill  have  been  spared,  have  had  to  be  withdrawn  from 
the  field  after  a  comparatively  brief  period  of  service.  Meier 
had  to  return  to  Europe  in  1903,  Dahl  in  1904.  Rapparlie, 
who  had  been  sent  to  Africa  in  1900,  had  to  come  back  in 
1907;  Pagels  and  Neumann,  both  appointed  in  1904,  re- 
quired to  be  recalled  in  1909 ;  and  for  the  same  reason,  in 
1908,  the  mission  wias  deprived  of  the  services  in  the  field 
of  its  superintendent,  Rudolph  Stern.  Mads  Hansen  Lob- 
ner, called  in  1906,  was  appointed  as  his  successor  in  the 
leadership  of  the  workers. 

That  for  all  these  reasons  it  should  still  be  the  day  of 
small  beginnings  in  Unyamwesi,  is  therefore  not  surprising. 
The  first  baptism  took  place  in  Kitunda  in  1903,  and  a  num- 
ber of  preaching  posts  could  soon  be  occupied  in  its  vicinity. 
One  of  these,  Ikombe,  has  grown  to  be  a  well-developed 
out-station,  in  charge  of  a  native  evangelist,  Jakobo  by 
name,  through  whose  instrumentality  ten  catechumens  have 
been  won  and  instructed  for  baptism.  Very  evident  bless- 
ings attend  his  labors  among  his  countrymen.  At  the  close 
of  1910,  ninety  additional  persons  were  receiving  stated  in- 
struction from  him,  as  seekers  after  truth. 


182  HISTORY  OF  NYASA   MISSION. 

In  Urambo  the  patient  labor  of  more  than  twenty-five 
3^ears  was  at  last  rewarded  by  the  gathering  in  of  firstfruits 
in  1907.  five  men  being  then  baptized.  But  this  station  re- 
mains a  very  hard  and  trying  sphere  of  work,  notwithstand- 
ing the  new  incentive  that  was  received  here  as  at  all  the 
mission-stations  from  the  visit  of  Bishop  Hennig  in  1905. 
Strained  relations  to  the  present  "Sultan."  Kaswika.  have 
not  a  little  contributed  to  multiply  the  difficulties  of  the 
workers  here.  Sikonge.  selected  as  the  seat  of  the  execu- 
tive of  this  mission-province,  the  residence  of  the  superin- 
tendent, Lobner,  and  the  warden,  Gerhard  Stolz,  Ipole  and 
Kipembabwe  each  rejoiced  in  the  baptism  of  their  first  con- 
verts in  1908,  and  Usoke  in  the  following  year.  An  ag- 
gressive move  was  the  appointment,  at  the  end  of  1909.  of 
Nils  Gaarde  to  do  distinctive  missionary  work  amongst  the 
men  employed  for  the  construction  of  the  Central  Railway 
of  German  East  Africa.  Originally  at  Manyoni.  his  head- 
quarters are  now  in  Tabora.  The  contracting  firm  has 
shown  much  sympathy  and  has  lent  aid  for  this  undertaking. 
In  1912  it  is  hoped  to  open  a  well-equipped  medical  mis- 
sion at  Usoke,  where  a  hospital  will  be  established,  a  call 
to  this  work  having  been  accepted  by  an  American  physi- 
cian. Dr.  Charles  Liiders. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1910  the  baptized  Christians  in 
Unyamwesi  numbered  one  hundred,  or  with  candidates  un- 
der instruction,  three  hundred  and  thirty-five.  Fifteen  na- 
tive evangelists  stood  at  the  side  of  twenty-six  missionaries 
at  seven  stations  and  five  out-stations.  In  addition  to  these 
centers  one  hundred  and  one  preaching-places  were  being 
served.  Twenty-three  schools  were  being  attended  by  four 
hundred  and  sixty-one  scholars,  in  charge  of  twenty-three 
teachers. 


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APPENDIX  C. 


NAME    OF   SOCIETY. 


Romao    Calliolic    Organ iiations. 

.  The  Falbers  of  the  Holy  Gho«  (Bagamoyo)  1S69   (In  Za.u.bar    18S9) 

.   Ihe   Benedictines,    fokinded    1848    (Dares&alam) 

.  The    White    Fathers,    founded    1868    (TanKan-        1879 


INDEX 


African  Lakes  Co.,  8,  10,  15 

African   Missions,  5-9 

Aliane,  136,  137 

Ambilishije,  97,  136-139 

Amfwilje,  130 

Ampoha,  130 

Ancestors,    Reverence    for,    54, 

55,  56 
Andipije,  105 
Animism,   54 

Arabs,  The,  34-36,  76,  82 

Bachmann,  Emil,  147 

Bachmann,  Traugott,  19,  66, 
69,  72,  91,  95,  96,  126,  129-131, 
136 

Bagamoyo,  175 

Bakonde,  21,  28 

Bandali,  28,  85 

Banyika,  28,  83,  85,  86,  91,  125 

Baptism,   The   first,   71 

Basafwa,  21,  22,  28,  70,  83,  125 

Berlin  I,  8,  9,  20,  53,  78,  161 

Betrothal,  41 

Bible  Society  of  Prussia,  The, 
95 

Blantyre,   14 

Boehme,  Anna,   101 

Boehme,  Emil,  161 

Britisli  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety, The,    180,   181 

Buchner,   Bishop   Charles,   8 

Battner,  180 

Bundali,  85,  86 

Burial   rites,  30,  45-48 
Bushi,    130 

Carpenter-shop      at      Rungwc, 

The,   161 
Central    Railway    of    German 

East  Africa,  The,  164 


Ceremonial  usages  of  heathen, 

41,  45-48,  56-59 
Chiefs'      attitude      overagainst 

Christianity,   103,   105 
Chinde,  10 
Christian     usages     introduced, 

87-93,  135,  156,  159 
Church      Missionary      Society, 

The,  176 
Civilizing'  Force,   The   Mission 

as  a,  155-165,  170 
Climate,    The    effects    of    the, 

101,  181 
Clothing   of    natives,   44 
Coffee  grown,  162 
Constitution     of    the     Mission, 

The,  168 
Cotton  grown,   162 
Crakau,  Daniel,  7 
Customs   of   natives,   30-50. 

Dahl,  176,  178.  179,  180,  181 
Deaths   of   missionaries,    16 
Difficulties,  100-113,  101 
Divorce,  43 
Domestic  animals,  33 
Draper,    177 

Education,   see   Schools 

Eltz,  Baron  von,  21-24,  76,  115 

Evangelists,    The    Native,    95, 

135-139,    144,    145,    167,    174, 

181 
Experiments    of    the    Mission, 

Cultural,  162-164 

Family  life  of   natives,  37-47 
Fiabarema,  67-71 
Fikirmi,  121 
Fruits  grown,  162 


190 


INDEX. 


Forestry  of   the    Mission,    162, 

163 
Funeral  rites,  45-48 

Gaarde,  182 

Gemuseus,   156,   158,   173 

General  Missionary  Confer- 
ence, The,  166,  168 

Giersch,    101 

God,  Natives'  conception  of, 
52,  53 

Government,  Relation  of  the 
Mission  to  the,  21-24,  11,  158 

Greetings,    Native,   45 

Guamsakuire,    84 

Guamyannehira,   84 

Haefner,    Christine,    101 
Haefner,   Johannes,   10,    16,   19, 

74,  78,  95,   101 
Haussleiter,   Prof.    Dr.,   163 
Heathenism's       Influence       on 

Character,  101-104,  124 
Hennig,    Bishop     P.,    91,     166, 

167,    182 
Hollan,  Paul,  161 
Homes    of    the    natives.    The, 

32 
Hymnal,  92,  94 

Ileya,  171 

Imugulilye,   131 

Imwagile,  126,   127,  128 

Inamwanga,  28 

Inangisye,   128 

Industries,     Mission,     85,     89, 

159-164 
Industries,   Native,   32,  Z2>,  45 
Ipole,  180 
Ipyana,  23,  74,  11,  78,  106,  114, 

142 
Iringa,  84 

Isoko,   85,    128,    142,    147-154 
Ivungu,  28,   125 


Jakobo,  181 

Kapauga,   151 

Kararamuka,  15,  16 

Karonga,    15,    19,   20 

Kaswrika,   182 

Kiarne,   117,    118 

Kinyakusa,  94 

Kinyamu^esi,  179,   180 

Kinyika,   86,  91,   95 

Kipembabwe,    180,    182 

Kirota,   11 

Kisafwa,    92 

Kisserawe,   122 

Kitunda,  180,  181 

Kiwere,    180 

Klamroth,   156 

Klautzsch,   95,    101,    144,    157 

Konde,   16,  18,  27,  64,  78,  94 

Kootz,  74,  79,  83,  92,   134 

Kretschmer,    19,    136,    137.    14S 

Kruppa,   105 

Kubeta,  84 

Kyimbila,  101,  162-164 

Langenburg,  21,  23,  11 

Ledoux,  74,  78,   101 

Lepers,  The,   140-146,   151-153^ 

Life  of  the  natives,  Mode  of,. 
30-50 

Literary  work  of  the  mission- 
aries, 91,  94,  95,  156,  179.. 
180,  181 

Livingstone,   176 

Livingstonia   Range,  The,   16 

London  Missionary  Society,, 
The,  176,  177 

L6bner,   180,   181,   182 

Liiders,  Dr.,  182 

Maketa,    142 
Malila,  18,  28 
Manow,  11,   122 
Marriage  of  natives,  41-44  (see 
Polygamy) 


INDEX. 


191 


Martin,  Georg,   10,   16,   17,    101 

Massoko,   161 

Mavwila,  130 

Mbasi,  53 

Mbozi,  86,  88,  91,  97,  125,  128, 

129,  132,  133,  171 
Medical   Missions,   157 
^leier,   176,    178,   179,   181 
Meinhof,  Prof.,  94 
Membership,   Statistics  of,   168, 

169,  182 
Mera,  121,  122 
Merensky,  Dr.,  78 
Merere,  28,  67,  78-84 
Meyer,   Lydia,    101 

Meyer,  Theodor,  10,  16,  17,  18, 
64,  70,  71,  85,  93,  111,  115, 
116 

Mirambo,  31.  176,  177,  179 
Missionary,     Qualifications     of 

a,  87 
Mohammedanism,    82,    105-110, 

170,  179 
:\ltofyia,   142 
:Muabura,   118,   120,   121 
Muafi-drinking,  49.   50 
Muakapalile,   18 
Muakatundu,  23 
Muangupiri,  21,   22 
Muarupia,  76,  116,  121 
Muasandya,   117,    119 
Muasanyera,  67,  70,  71 
Muasiage,  21,  65,  66 
Mueia,   106,  169 
Mugoni,   142 
Mukoma,  97,  98,   137 
Mumbi,  118,  120 
Munolima,  98,  99 
Musonga,   129-131 
Mutavulwa,   125,   126 
Mwakasinka,  85 
:M\vegikundeha,  127,   128 


Xachila,   129-131 

Xauhaus,  94,  95,  115 

Ncayige,    71 

Neumann,    181 

Ndumati,  84 

Neu  Langenburg,  161,  164,  165 

Xdonolilwe,  136,  138,   139 

Niganile,  71,  93,  94 

Normal  School,  The,  156,  158, 

169,   173 
Nsajigwa,  97 
Numuagire,  71,   74 
Nyembele,    148 
Nyikaland,  85,  86 

Oaths,  49 
Offerings,  56-59 
Ordeals,  49 

Pagels,   181 

Polygamy,  2>1 ,  39,  40,  43,  104 
Periodical   Press,  The,   156 
Preparedness    for    the    Gospel, 

74,  75 
Prince,  Hauptmann,  84 
Provincial     Conference,     The, 

168 
Pwani   no   bara,   156 

Quelimane,    10 

Rambasika,  67,   70,   71 
Rapparlie,    181 
Rebellion,   Native,   11 
Religion  of   natives,  51-63,  65 
Richard,    Theophil,    10,    14,    16, 

17,  12>,  65.  74,  79-83,  101,  115 
Roman  Catholicism  in  German 

East  -Africa.  28.  110.  111.  180 

Rubber    Plantation.    The,    162- 
164 

Rukwa.  Lake,  27,  86 


192 


INDEX. 


Rungwe,  18,  19,  27,  64,  67,  70, 
71,  n,  76,  78,  96,  115-122, 
142,  145,  157,  158,  161,  166, 
169 

Rutenganio,  74,  85,  88,  136,  142, 
145 

Samueli,  128 

Sango,  The,  28,  82,  83,  84 

Schools,  The,  91,  93,  157,   172, 

182 
Schumann,  94 
Services   rendered  the   colonial 

government,    21-24,    11,    158, 
Shaw,  177,  178,   179 
Shoemaker-shop    at    Utengule, 

160 
Sikonge,   180,   182 
Slavery,  34-37 

Slaves,  The  freed,  76,   115-122 
Smelting  iron,  2>Z 
Songela,  142,  144,   145  . 
Songwe,  The,   106 
Sorcerers,  54,  60 
Southon,  Dr.,  176,  177 
Station,    A    Missionary,    88-90, 

94 
Statistics,    157,    168,    169,    170, 

174,   182 
Status  of  the  Mission,  Present, 

166 
Stern,    178,    179,    180,    181 
Stolz,   Adolf,   78,   162,   163 
Stolz,  Gerhard,  182 
Stolz,   Helena,   101 
Sunday  at   Isoko,   A,    147-154 
Superstitions,    53-63,    133,    134, 

156 
Swann,  34,  35 
Swito,    132 


Tabora,  105,  106,  164,  176,  179 
Tanganyika,   119,  164 
Tea   grown,    162 
Tjisumbi,  98 
Trades,  85,  89,   160-164 
Training    School    for    Evange- 
lists, 96,   157 
Twijulege,   144,   145 

Ujiji,  105,  176 
Ujui,  176,  177 
Ukasime,  96 
Undule,   128 

Unyamwesi,    166,   175-182 
Urambo,   175,   182 
Usoke,  180,  182 
Utengule,    79-85,    91,    134,    160. 
171 

Von  Eltz,  Baron,  21,  22,  23,  24, 
76,   115 

Wagner,  Rudolf,  101 
Wahehe,  The,  80,  81,  84 
Walusangu,  97 
Walusangano,  97 
Waluseshelo,  96 
Walutungamo,  98 
Walwitho,  97,  134 
Wangemannshoh,   20,    53,    115 
Wanyamwesi,   The,   178,    179 
Warneck,    Dr.    Gustav,    139 
Wavwila,  97 

"White  Fathers,  The,"  111,  112 
Wood-working      establishment 
at  Rungwe,  The,  161 

Zeeb,  54,  150 
Zickmantel,  Agnes,  101 
Zimmerman,  Emil,  163 


DATE  DUE 

\ 

dlUhf 

Hsea 

_?flflft 

HHiMU 

CAYLORD 

PHINTEOIN  U.S.A. 

